🌍 HOUTHI ATTACKS, SAUDI NUCLEAR TALKS AND IRANIAN ASSASSINATION PLOTS
🕑 Published: July 23, 2026 · 8:40 PM Israel time
⚓ Renewed Houthi attacks have increased pressure on Red Sea and Gulf shipping. The Houthis claimed attacks on the Saudi tankers ENCELA and LAYLIA using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
President Trump warned that another Houthi attack would bring major military punishment against both the group and Iran, which he described as responsible for its proxy’s actions.
Iran separately flew an estimated 10 to 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, military advisers and missile specialists, to Houthi-controlled Yemen on July 13. The Mahan Air flight was diverted from Sanaa to Hodeidah after Saudi strikes targeted Sanaa Airport and reportedly carried missile and drone equipment as well as gold intended to finance Houthi activity.
CENTCOM rejected Iranian claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying commercial traffic remains active with U.S. military support. American forces have assisted more than 900 vessels through the strait since early May.
☢️ The emerging U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement has produced conflicting signals over enrichment and regional normalization. Israeli officials initially warned that allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically would cross a major security red line and risk encouraging a regional nuclear arms race.
President Trump later said the agreement would permit only non-enriched civilian nuclear facilities and would be conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.
The Prime Minister’s Office said joint U.S.-Israeli action against Iran and the weakening of Tehran’s regional axis had created an opportunity to expand the circle of peace, describing Saudi entry into the accords as a potential historic advance.
🛰️ Israeli and international intelligence services dismantled an Iranian network intended to place foreign operatives inside Israel. The Mossad said the Iranian Intelligence Ministry used a “proxy by proxy” model in which criminal networks recruited individuals capable of entering Israel, collecting intelligence and assassinating senior officials.
Tharot Ozkur, known as “Philip,” operated from France after traveling to Iran and receiving payment. He was connected through Babak Mahu-Zadeh Haji Japan and Mohammad Nadim Yaeit, associates of Iran-based criminal figure Naji Sharifi Zindashti.
Investigators identified four Iranian Intelligence Ministry officers behind the operation. One, Asadollah Behzad Oshsari, was killed during the “Roar of Hary” war. “Philip” was deported from France, while the two Iran-based intermediaries remain under international intelligence scrutiny.
The Mossad and Israel Security Agency, also known as the Shin Bet, said dozens of Iranian plots against Israelis and Jews worldwide have been thwarted.
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