Morning update

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 24 August 2026 08:04 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: Iraq has called for creating a joint security council between Iran and Saudi Arabia, citing a "crisis of trust" between the two countries, a senior Iraqi official told state broadcaster Iraqiya TV. Qasim al-Araji, the national security adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, indicated that Baghdad had presented the proposal to both Tehran and Riyadh. An Israeli drone strike targeting displaced Palestinians in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah killed two early on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported citing medical sources. The two killed were identified as Mohammed Nasser Abu Assad and Ibrahim Nasser Abu Assad. Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi is expected to visit Tehran on Tuesday amid ongoing talks between Iran and Muscat over the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian foreign ministry indicated on Monday. Hossein Taeb, head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit, remarked that that Tehran had not asked for a ceasefire, instead the US was "forced" to call for negotiations. The senior Basij official also expressed that Iran's armed forces "stood firm" during the war and "exposed the weaknesses of the US military". Israeli troops raided southern Syria’s Quneitra province on Sunday and detained a shepherd in the area, the Alikhbariah channel reported. The army also advanced into the village of Maariya in the Daraa countryside with military vehicles. Hamas said Israel is fabricating a pretext to intensify attacks on Gaza, after Israel threatened broad evacuations and air assaults if paper kites from the Strip continued to be launched. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem responded with a statement on the group's website later on Sunday that this move amounts to "threatening children."