Iran

• Trump accuses Iran of driving up oil prices as Brent crude hits $114: President Donald Trump accused Iran of deliberately attempting to raise global oil prices ahead of the November midterm elections.

  • “Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of Oil prior to the U.S. Midterm Election,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They are even making up fake hits, mines, and everything else,” he claimed, insisting that more oil is now passing through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war began.

  • Middle East Gulf and Gulf of Oman oil and petroleum product exports, excluding Iran, fell to around 15 million barrels per day (bpd) on a seven-day moving average, down from a pre-war baseline of 20.5 million bpd, according to Kpler data. Kpler says data from the past two weeks may be revised upward.

  • Brent crude hit a high of $114.72 overnight. The U.S. national average price for regular gasoline sits at $4.284 per gallon, a 5-cent drop from last week; diesel fuel now averages $6.276 per gallon, a 10-cent increase.

• Europe faces winter energy crisis, IEA chief warns: Europe is entering winter with historically low natural gas reserves and cannot withstand further supply disruptions caused by the U.S. war with Iran, the International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned.

  • EU gas storage is just 72% full, compared with the usual 90% ahead of winter, a shortfall equivalent to the energy needs of 10 to 12 million homes. Nearly 10% of Europe’s liquefied natural gas previously passed through the Strait of Hormuz, where attacks on vessels have disrupted shipping.

  • “Life will not be easy for Europe this year and also next year,” Birol told Al Jazeera, adding that even an immediate ceasefire would not prevent higher energy costs in the coming months. Birol also warned of diesel shortages linked to Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

  • “I have never ever seen the dark and long shadow of geopolitics so dominant in the energy sector,” Birol said. “Energy is not currently considered a business but a political leverage.”

• U.S. spent $11 billion in three years defending Israel, analysis finds: The U.S. fired an estimated 609 missile interceptors to defend Israeli territory between October 2023 and June 2026, costing approximately $11 billion in taxpayer money, according to an analysis by researcher Stephen Semler. The estimate excludes interceptors fired to defend U.S. forces in the region.

  • “That is not a symbiotic relationship. It is a parasitic one,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, sharing the analysis.

• UAE closes Umm Al Quwain beaches after oil spill from tanker: The UAE temporarily closed all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain after an oil spill from a tanker contaminated the shoreline.

  • The spill comes amid escalating Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and oil tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz. UAE authorities did not link the spill to the war. Other regional spills, including oil slicks near Iran’s Qeshm and Hengam islands and along Oman’s coastline, were caused by attacks on vessels in the region.

• U.S. claims naval blockade prevented Iran from exporting $25 billion in oil over 100 days: The naval blockade of Iran prevented at least $25 billion worth of Iranian crude oil exports since it resumed 100 days ago, CENTCOM claimed in a post on X. CENTCOM claimed that due to the blockade, dubbed “America’s steel wall,” no goods have entered or left Iran by sea, except for “humanitarian shipments U.S. forces have allowed.”

Palestine

• Three Palestinians killed, several wounded in Israeli strikes across Gaza: Two Palestinians were killed and others wounded on Friday in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Nasr neighborhood of western Gaza City, according to WAFA.

  • In southern Gaza, an Israeli drone strike targeting a bicycle on Al-Qubba Street, west of Khan Younis, killed one Palestinian and wounded others.

• Netanyahu orders full closure of West Bank after Hebron shooting: Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others before being killed by Israeli forces. The gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes.

  • Israeli forces then imposed a sweeping military lockdown on Hebron governorate, closing all entrances and exits, and preventing Palestinian movement. Troops raided homes and detained at least five Palestinians in raids, according to WAFA. Israeli forces also critically wounded a Palestinian driver after shooting him in the chest in Dura, southwest of Hebron, and closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim worshippers.

  • During a subsequent visit to Hebron on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had instructed the army and security forces to “immediately impose a closure on the city of Hebron” and prepare for a “full lockdown” of the entire West Bank starting Friday.

  • Netanyahu added that along with Defense Minister Israel Katz they were considering an extensive operation in the West Bank “such as has not been carried out since the Six Day War,” in reference to 1967.

  • Netanyahu announced plans to apply the same “successful and aggressive model” used in the occupied West Bank refugee camps, where Israeli forces have displaced tens of thousands of residents and demolished large areas in what rights groups have said are crimes against humanity.

• Israeli settlers and soldiers rampage across the occupied West Bank:

  • Ramallah: Settlers burned and cut down dozens of olive trees in the Al-Qibla area south of Burqa on Friday, WAFA reported. In Sinjil, settlers attacked olive harvesters and broke branches off fruit-bearing trees.

  • Nablus: Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters toward Palestinians in the agricultural plains of Salem and Beit Furik, igniting fires. In Burin, settlers attempted to set fire to a Palestinian home and its surroundings under Israeli military protection.

  • Jenin: Israeli forces gave families in Khirbet Suruj one week to evacuate their homes and agricultural structures. The community includes more than seven homes and ten livestock sheds, with families who have lived there since 1950 and hold land documents dating back to 1960.

  • East Jerusalem: Israeli forces arrested Sheikh Khaled Abu Jumaa, the Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher, after he delivered the Friday sermon and led prayers at the mosque.

• Israeli settlers destroy Shireen Abu Akleh memorial: Armed settlers destroyed a memorial to Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh near the entrance to the village of Ajja south of Jenin city. The memorial was erected in 2022 to honor the Al Jazeera journalist, who was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces while covering a military raid on Jenin refugee camp on May 11, 2022.

Yemen

• Ansarallah claims Saudi Arabia rejected five-day ceasefire proposal for talks: Senior Ansarallah official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti said that while Riyadh sought mediation through Oman during the initial escalation in July, Saudi Arabia did not accept a proposed five-day ceasefire for direct talks. In an interview with The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal, Al-Bukhaiti said that Ansarallah had agreed to the proposal.

  • Al-Bukhaiti claimed Ansarallah forces captured Mount Han overlooking Taiz, the major southwestern city under siege, while insisting that any future peace agreement end the war and blockades imposed by both sides.

  • He also called on Saudi Arabia’s ruling family to oust Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying his continued rule threatens the kingdom itself. “We will support any move within the ruling family … to oust bin Salman,” he said, urging action by Saudi citizens and opposition groups.

• Saudi-led coalition launches strikes across Yemen as Saudi Arabia intercepts Ansarallah missiles: At least 18 airstrikes were reported across Yemen’s Saada, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf, Amran, and Taiz governorates, according to Ansarallah-affiliated media.

  • Saudi Arabia: Air defenses intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched by Ansarallah toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said.

Lebanon

• Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling reported in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire: Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike near Ali Al-Taher Hill, while intermittent Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of Zawtar Al-Sharqiya on Friday in the Nabatieh district, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

  • In the Marjayoun district, Israeli forces reportedly set fire to wooded areas in the town of Qantara.

U.S. News

• Jared Kushner received $2 billion in dark money from Gulf States: U.S. special envoy and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner received $2 billion in a slush fund created by top Emirati and Saudi officials, according to an excerpt of a new book by investigative reporter Matthew Cole. Cole reports an extraordinary sequence of events that began with Russian intelligence infiltrating Kushner’s iPhone. According to Cole, Dutch intelligence captured a Russian agent, flipped him, and gained access to Kushner’s device themselves. As they began to monitor Kushner’s phone in real time, they observed suspicious transfers of huge amounts of money.

  • According to Cole, UAE ruler Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sought to influence U.S. foreign policy during the first Trump term, and offered Kushner the money toward that end.

  • The arrangement also involved Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who directed Kushner in 2018 to set up an account at the Israeli Central Bank. Netanyahu reportedly required Kushner to inform him before moving any money out of the account.

  • Kushner denied Cole’s reporting as “categorically false” and “completely insane” in a statement on Thursday. Through his attorney, Kushner said he would pursue legal action against the publisher of Cole’s book, Simon & Schuster.

  • The full excerpt from the book published in Vanity Fair is available here. Cole’s book, “Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East,” will be released on October 27. It can be pre-ordered here.

• CBS: Hegseth bans Pentagon personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on U.S. military operations: War Secretary Pete Hegseth barred department personnel from using classified or unclassified nonpublic information to bet on military operations, he wrote in an October 20 memo to senior Pentagon leaders and combatant commanders that was obtained by CBS News. The memo names prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi, and says that violations could bring administrative discipline or criminal action under federal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

  • The directive follows scrutiny of military-related betting. In April, Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a Special Forces soldier involved in the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, was arrested for allegedly betting more than $33,000 on Polymarket on Maduro’s removal within hours of President Trump’s January announcement, winning more than $409,000. He pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York.

• ProPublica: Postal Service cuts cause sharp rise in ballot rejections during midterms: In counties where the Postal Service reduced pickups from twice a day to once a day in rural areas, late-ballot rejection rates were two or three times higher than they were in 2022, ProPublica reported. In 11 rural counties of Washington, for instance, nearly 2,000 ballots arrived late this year, compared to about 600 in 2022.

• Judge restricts DHS investigations of supposed noncitizen voting: U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín halted portions of the Department of Homeland Security’s aggressive investigations of supposed noncitizens. The order bars the DHS from stopping or interviewing suspects in nine states. The judge found the plaintiffs—including National Nurses United and Voto Latino—likely to succeed in their claim that the DHS investigations infringe upon the Voting Rights Act. “The public’s interest in safe elections, free from interference or intimidation,” she wrote, “far exceed defendants’ purported interest in combating unlawful voting by non-U.S. citizens.”

• WSJ: DOJ corruption probe examines Corey Lewandowski: The Justice Department is examining whether Corey Lewandowski, top adviser to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, profited from his political position, the Wall Street Journal reported. The inquiry rests on a recent referral from the DHS inspector general. It focuses, in part, on contracting fraud. The review is the first publicly known instance of Trump’s second-term DOJ scrutinizing someone close to the president. Investigators found evidence Lewandowski may have been involved in improperly awarding contracts. He or his close associates approved almost all spending above $100,000, and he personally signed contracts despite serving as an unpaid Special Government Employee. Lewandowski, through a representative, denied wrongdoing.

• DOJ charges 15 in health care fraud worth nearly $2 billion: The Justice Department charged 15 defendants, including six medical professionals, with luring vulnerable patients into needless surgeries, sham treatment programs, and bogus hospice care. In one case, two people allegedly paid Texas “body brokers” to recruit homeless people and 12-step participants into sham California sober living homes, where they were signed up for pricey insurance and then left to languish in “decrepit squats.” In another case, three people allegedly pressured healthy seniors into hospice care.

• Musk gives another $76 million to America PAC; his total midterm donations now $442+ million: Elon Musk gave $76 million to his super PAC, America PAC, in the first two weeks of October, pushing his total donations above $442 million this election cycle. His giving in 2026 far exceeds the roughly $290 million he spent in 2024. Musk’s earlier spending includes $158 million to the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, which was then transferred to a super PAC boosting Texas AG Ken Paxton in his tight race against Democrat James Talarico. He has given to many other groups: the House Republicans super PAC, Trump’s MAGA Inc., a group seeking to repeal Alaska’s ranked-choice voting, and various GOP candidates. Musk has not campaigned with GOP candidates this fall, unlike in prior years, and Republicans privately acknowledge he could be politically toxic.

• Axios: Major U.S. banks discover third-party AI agents in customer accounts: Top U.S. banks are discovering unauthorized AI agents inside customer accounts, Axios reported on Thursday. Most cases involve an AI agent or assistant using a customer’s login credentials with their permission—which is still a violation of most banks’ rules. But some banks have also found AI agents that contact call centers or take actions that appear independent of user instructions.

• Ohio governor’s race now “leans Democratic,” per analysis: The nonpartisan election newsletter Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted the Ohio governor’s race toward Democratic nominee Amy Acton, citing “an explosive—and desperate—attack ad” by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who says, “She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.” Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed that it was behind the ad and said it would spend $4 million to promote it. Acton has openly discussed her experience of childhood abuse, neglect, and homelessness.

• Virginia state senator charged with conspiracy, bribery, racketeering: Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas, 82, was arrested on charges related to marijuana distribution, bribery, and racketeering on Thursday. Six other co-defendants were charged, including her daughters Lisa Lucas-Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb and her grandson Ryan Eichelberger. Prosecutors say that since at least 2019, Lucas led a scheme that used her political influence to enact legislation and regulations benefiting herself and co-defendants and shielding a marijuana enterprise from state law enforcement. Federal agents searched her office and The Cannabis Outlet, a shop she co-owns, nearly six months ago, and the investigation reportedly began under President Joe Biden.

Other International News

• Egypt editor faces trial in escalated press crackdown: Lina Attalah, the editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, one of Egypt’s last remaining independent media outlets, was referred to trial on Thursday. The escalation comes one day after prosecutors questioned her for more than six hours. Rights groups describe her case as an unprecedented attack on press freedoms in Egypt.

  • The Supreme State Prosecution referred Attalah to trial on a charge of establishing and managing a website without a license. She was also questioned on a charge of publishing false news, but that charge was not included in her court referral.

  • Atallah was released Wednesday evening on bail of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (around $1,800). She is due in court on October 27. If convicted, she faces a fine of one million to three million Egyptian pounds (roughly $18,000 to $54,000). The court may also order the closure of Mada Masr and the confiscation of its equipment.

  • Over 100 independent media outlets and civil society organizations around the world, including Drop Site News, signed a joint statement condemning Attalah’s referral to trial, calling it “an unprecedented escalation that threatens the future of the entire independent media, knowledge production, and civil society space in Egypt.”

  • Drop Site News and Mada Masr have co-published several articles over the past two years. Examples here and here.

• Six killed, 28 wounded in church funeral shooting in Jordan: Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan on Friday, killing six people and wounding 28 others. The church is located in Karak, home to a minority Christian population. King Abdullah II condemned the shooting as a terrorist attack. “Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity,” he said.

• Sudanese army strikes Darfur, Kordofan: Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) attacks hit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions and civilian infrastructure in El Fasher, in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. The strikes destroyed military equipment and civilian property, and damaged the Sultan Ali Dinar Mosque. In East Darfur, SAF strikes destroyed RSF military vehicles, gas trucks and civilian cars. The SAF attacks also reached Babanusa, a city in West Kordofan.

• Mob beats immigrant to death in South Africa: A mob of about 50 people assaulted and killed an immigrant during an anti-immigration protest in Durban, South Africa, on Thursday. Local officials did not share the victim’s nationality, or provide details of the protest. For months, Durban has been the center of xenophobic demonstrations. Tens of thousands of migrants have left South Africa in recent months in one of the largest mass exoduses in years.

• WHO says Ebola outbreak is becoming “more complex”; infections in three African countries: “We are facing a more complex outbreak landscape,” a World Health Organization official said of the spread of Ebola. Cases have been announced in Nigeria, Kenya, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak originated in Congo in May. To date, it has killed more than 4,000 people there.

• Syria security force raids suspected ISIS cell; seven dead: A raid on a suspected ISIS cell near Damascus resulted in the deaths of two Syrian security force personnel and five suspected ISIS members, according to Syrian officials. Security forces arrested six other suspected members, and seized weapons and explosive belts. In recent weeks, the Interior Ministry has said it has stopped an ISIS plot in the Damascus countryside, dismantled an ISIS cell in Homs, and a top ISIS military commander.

• Hundreds flee Ethiopia fighting for Kenya: Hundreds of Ethiopians, mainly women and children, fled to Kenya after fighting erupted in an Ethiopian town near the Kenyan border on Wednesday. It was not clear what triggered the violence, and the Kenya Red Cross said it is assessing the number of refugees and their needs. One Red Cross official said, “No camp is ready to host those displaced but we shall most definitely work on it.” The fighting is hundreds of miles from the Tigray conflict between government forces and the rebel alliance.

• Tunisian police fire tear gas at protesters after detainee’s death: Police in Tunis fired tear gas to disperse protesters gathered to oppose the death of a man detained on suspicion of drug dealing. Protesters threw stones at police, obstructed roads, and burned tires. According to the detainee’s family, he died from police violence after his arrest. Local media said he died after swallowing drugs.

• Major earthquake kills 16 in Tibet: A magnitude 7 earthquake in northern Tibet on Thursday night killed 16 people and injured at least 76 others, Reuters reported. The epicenter was in a sparsely populated, high-altitude county in China’s southwestern region of Tibet. It is the strongest quake to hit the country since early 2024.

• Musk restores Ukraine’s Starlink access, Trump says: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk renewed Ukraine’s Starlink access, Trump told reporters on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Trump called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starlink. Ukraine relies on the satellite technology for battlefield communications and drone operations.

• 10,000+ rally in student-led protest against Serbia’s ruling party on eve of election: Tens of thousands of people rallied at a student-led protest in Belgrade on Thursday, as President Aleksandar Vucic held a rival rally at a sports hall across town. The Student List, a leaderless movement of student-backed candidates, is running a slate of 250 anti-corruption candidates for the 250-seat parliament, aiming to unseat Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party, which has held power for over 14 years. The election comes after almost two years of protests against political corruption.

• Germany arrests Ukrainian national on suspicion of spying for Russia: Germany arrested a Ukrainian man that prosecutors say was spying for Russia, officials said Thursday. According to federal prosecutors, the man had been in contact with Russian intelligence since at least July 2025, and gathered intelligence on military equipment and weaponry, and personnel and installations affiliated with NATO defenses. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the arrest on Thursday, telling reporters that he was “not surprised” by the arrest.

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