Key facts
- US President Donald Trump announced a major economic operation against Iran.
- Trump warned of severe economic consequences for any country supporting Iran.
- Israel's defense minister criticized Turkey's involvement in Syria.
- Britain plans sanctions against those involved in Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank.
- Hind Rajab's grandmother called for an international investigation into her killing.
US President Donald Trump announced on August 20, 2026, that the United States is launching its most severe economic operation ever against Iran, warning that any country providing support to Tehran would face "tremendous economic consequences." Specific actions or targeted nations were not detailed.
In regional diplomatic developments, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria" and that Ankara risks consequences for its ties with Damascus, asserting that Israel "will not allow any actor to threaten its security."
Reuters reported, citing sources, that Mossad held a phone call with Syria's foreign minister on August 14 to discuss Turkey's military presence in Syria. This contact occurred shortly before an Israeli strike on a military airbase in Irbil and represents a high-level engagement between Tel Aviv and the administration led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Separately, Britain's foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, condemned Israel's recent tender for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank as an "unacceptable and destructive act." The UK plans to introduce a comprehensive set of measures, including sanctions, targeting individuals involved in illegal settlement expansion.
Anadolu Agency reported that the grandmother of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab rejected an Israeli military probe into her killing. She has instead called for an independent international investigation into the deaths of Hind, six relatives, and two Palestine Red Crescent medics who attempted her rescue.