Qatar Says 'Content' with Security Assurances After US, Israel Call

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the telephone to the Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during which the Israeli leader apologized for the strike on Doha earlier this month. (Israel’s Channel 12)
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the telephone to the Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during which the Israeli leader apologized for the strike on Doha earlier this month. (Israel’s Channel 12)
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Qatar Says 'Content' with Security Assurances After US, Israel Call

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the telephone to the Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during which the Israeli leader apologized for the strike on Doha earlier this month. (Israel’s Channel 12)
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the telephone to the Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during which the Israeli leader apologized for the strike on Doha earlier this month. (Israel’s Channel 12)

Qatar said Tuesday that the United States had given security assurances to the country and Israel had promised not to attack it again in a phone call the previous day.

"The security assurances and the commitments that were offered in the call yesterday (Monday) by President Trump and the Israeli prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) were very clear and were under the guarantee of the US president that Qatar will never be attacked," foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a press conference.

"We are content with the security assurances that we have received," he said, adding there had also been "a commitment by Israel not to attack Qatar again in its capacity or otherwise."

Netanyahu on Monday attempted to mend fences with Qatar, the key Hamas interlocutor.

He expressed his regret to his Qatari counterpart for a Sept. 9 military strike targeting Hamas officials in the Gulf country that infuriated Arab leaders and triggered rare criticism by the US of Israel.

Netanyahu made the call to Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as he met with Trump at the White House.

“As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” the White House said in a statement. “He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

Israel stuck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar as the group’s top figures gathered to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The strike on the territory was a stunning escalation and risked upending talks aimed at winding down the war and freeing hostages. No senior Hamas officials were killed in the strike.



Qatari Prime Minister Arrives in Riyadh

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Qatari Prime Minister Arrives in Riyadh

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday.

He was received by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji at King Khalid International Airport.


UAE Halts All Trade, Financial Dealings with Iran after Attack

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UAE Halts All Trade, Financial Dealings with Iran after Attack

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Arab Emirates has said it is suspending all trade and financial dealings with Iran after reporting an Iranian missile attack directed at its ships.

The announcement comes after a period of relative calm in the UAE, with no Iranian missiles aimed at the country since May after it bore the brunt of attacks in the early weeks of the Middle East war.

Abu Dhabi has however accused Tehran of repeatedly targeting its tankers at sea in recent weeks.

"In light of regional escalations... all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice," said UAE foreign ministry communications director Afra Al Hameli.

The UAE is home to a sizeable Iranian community and has been a major trading partner for US-sanctioned Iran, at least before the war.

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict.

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Abu Dhabi on Tuesday accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles towards the country, the first such attack since May.

It later said the salvo was directed at shipping, but Tehran denied firing missiles at the UAE.

"UAE air defenses detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the country, with the first falling outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters," the UAE ministry said in a statement posted to social media.

A second statement released later said the missiles "were targeting maritime navigation and fell into the sea".

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei "categorically rejected the United Arab Emirates' claim that Iran had launched a missile towards that country", calling it harmful to regional trust and security efforts.

The first UAE statement came nearly two hours after a phone alert that warned residents of a "potential missile threat".

It was the first such alert since a false alarm in June and an alert in July for an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory.

Before that, the last missile warning came in early May.

However, tankers belonging to the UAE's state-owned oil company ADNOC have been repeatedly targeted in the past few weeks.

When the Middle East war began on February 28, the UAE bore the brunt of Iran's attacks, with nearly 3,000 missiles and drones directed at the country -- more than anywhere else in the region.

After a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States came into effect in June, which has since collapsed, the UAE reported no attacks, unlike other Gulf states.


MWL, GCC Condemn Israeli Airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase

A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
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MWL, GCC Condemn Israeli Airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase

A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned on Tuesday the Israeli airstrikes targeting Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase, saying they are a violation of all international laws and norms.

In a statement, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa slammed “the aggression against the sovereignty and resources of Syria”, reiterating the league's “full solidarity” with the country in confronting threats to its security, sovereignty and people.

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also strongly condemned the attack.

“The brutal Israeli targeting of Syrian territory is an unacceptable violation of its sovereignty and territorial sanctity, contradicting international rules and norms that prohibit infringing upon state sovereignty,” he said.

Such continued practices raise tension and escalation and undermine regional and international efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region, he warned.

Albudaiwi called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, take a firm stance against these violations, and work to halt Israeli attacks on Syrian territory to safeguard its security and stability.

He reiterated the GCC states' solidarity with Syria, and support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.