WEEKLY UPDATE - 05.08.2026

US strikes military sites in Iran as tensions continue in the Gulf

On Thursday, US President Trump said that the US carried out strikes on Iranian military sites in retaliation for what he described as “unprovoked Iranian attacks.” US CENTCOM said that Iranian military attacked three US ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, drones, and small boats. The strikes, which hit the city of Bandar Abbas, Qashem Island, and shipping sites in the Strait, were the latest sign that the ceasefire may be on the verge of unravelling. A day earlier a US warplane fired on an Iranian tanker disabling the ship and prompting Iran to accuse the US of violating the ceasefire.

Earlier in the week, the UAE accused Iran of carrying out strikes on its oil facilities in the port city of Fujairah. Emirati officials said that over the course of Monday, its air defenses had engaged with 12 Iranian ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched toward its territory. The strikes resulted in several injuries to workers at the facility. The Fujairah port and its oil facilities are significant because they bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Iran blamed the strikes are on “US adventurism.”

This week’s escalations come as Iran and the US traded proposals to end the war. President Trump has at various times over the past week, claimed that they were close to an agreement ending the war. Iranian officials have expressed there is still some distance between the two parties.

Around the Region

• North Africa:

  • The US military reported that two soldiers went missing during a joint-training exercise in Morocco. After five-days a sweeping search effort consisting of military personnel from multiple countries has failed to locate the soldiers, who disappeared during a hike near the coastal city of Tan-Tan.

  • Tunisian organizers of the Lag B’Omer festival reported an uptick in Jewish pilgrims traveling to Djerba after a couple of down years following a 2023 terrorist attack. Djerba is home to the oldest synagogue in Africa and once was home to a thriving Jewish community of more than 100,000 that has dwindled to 1,500 today. You can read more about the fate of North African Jews here.

• The Gulf:

  • The Trump administration approved the sale of $17 billion worth of missiles to the Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE. The stoked concerns of some Pentagon officials given the dwindling stockpiles of US missiles due to the war with Iran. The order amounts to about 4,250 interceptor missiles.

  • Al Jazeera reported that Saudi Arabia posted a $33.5 billion budget deficit due to the decline in oil revenue resulting from the war. Sales of crude-oil account for about half of Saudi state revenues.

• The Levant:

  • The Israeli military targeted a senior Hezbollah official in Beirut on Wednesday, killing him. The airstrike on the southern suburb of Dahiyah, a Hezbollah stronghold, was the first targeting Beirut since the ceasefire came into effect putting the truce at risk. The timing of the strike came as Israeli and Lebanese officials were preparing to meet for another round of talks in Washington. In Gaza, an Israeli strike killed the son of a Hamas negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya. Israel has continued to target militants in Gaza in spite of the ceasefire reached last year. In related news, the UAE contributed $100 million to President Trump’s Board of Peace to facilitate the training of a new Palestinian police force in Gaza.

  • Syrian authorities said that they had arrested a group of Hezbollah-affiliated militants planning the assassination of government officials. The government operation consisted of raids across Syria including Damascus, Aleppo, Tartous, and Latakia. Hezbollah officials denied any connection to the militants.

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