HEADLINES IN BREIF: 

Ed Sheeran calls Israel's treatment of Gazans 'unjustifiable,' apologizes for Macklemore controversy READ MORE

Reports: Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met READ MORE

Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital READ MORE 

Türkiye says it could help meet Saudi military needs under defence pact

Trump cuts short Camp David visit as Americans in the Middle East issued travel warnings

Violence flares in West Bank as Israeli and Palestinian deaths reported READ MORE 

Ed Sheeran calls Israel's treatment of Gazans 'unjustifiable,' apologizes for Macklemore controversy 

Pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized for his handling of a controversy involving rapper Macklemore, who was removed as a supporting act from Sheeran’s concert tour after speaking publicly about the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Speaking at a concert in Philadelphia on Saturday, Sheeran said he had made difficult decisions and mistakes and apologized to his audience.

The British singer also addressed the conflict in Gaza, describing the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel as “horrific,” while calling Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

Sheeran said he was also concerned about what he described as “systemic injustice” in the West Bank, where Israeli settlements have expanded under Israel’s current government. His comments marked a shift from his response earlier in the week, when he said on Instagram that audiences attending his concerts “do not expect a political forum.”

The controversy began after Macklemore said on social media that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, had told Sheeran that the rapper would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Sheeran is scheduled to perform there on September 25 and 26.

Macklemore said the decision followed his September 4 appearance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he said “Free Palestine” during his performance.

According to Macklemore, Kraft and other stadium owners told Sheeran he would not be able to perform at their venues if Macklemore remained part of the tour. Macklemore was subsequently removed from the tour, while other supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with him.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and commitments made by the United States are implemented, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday.

Qalibaf said Iran must pursue both military action and diplomacy, using force to push back its enemies while turning to negotiations to consolidate gains when the time is right.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy route, with a significant share of the world’s oil shipments passing through the waterway.

Washington and Tehran reached an agreement in June providing for a halt to military operations and arrangements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation. The agreement later collapsed amid disagreements between the two sides over navigation and security arrangements in the strategic waterway.

Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital

Yemen’s Houthi movement said it launched missiles and drones at “sensitive” sites in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Saturday, as tensions between the Iran-aligned group and the kingdom continued to escalate.

The claim came hours after flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen near Riyadh’s main airport. Reuters footage showed a column of smoke rising near the airport highway and terminal, while flames could be seen behind what appeared to be fuel tanks.

Saudi Arabia had issued overnight alerts warning of potential danger around Riyadh amid a series of attacks claimed by the Houthis in recent weeks.

The Houthis did not specify which sites in Riyadh they had targeted. They also claimed to have attacked an Aramco facility in Yanbu, a Red Sea city that serves as an important hub for Saudi oil exports.

The group said the attacks were carried out in response to an earlier strike on Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a missile launched toward Riyadh early on Saturday.

The coalition also said it had prevented attacks targeting civilians in several other parts of Saudi Arabia. It said the locations included Bish and Farasan in the southwest, Taif in western Saudi Arabia and Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.

The coalition did not provide details on whether the attacks caused damage or casualties.

Saturday’s claim appeared to mark the first reported Houthi strike on Riyadh since the current escalation began in July. The group has launched repeated attacks against Saudi Arabia during that period.

The latest developments add to wider tensions in the region involving the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis have long maintained that their military operations are intended to put pressure on their opponents and respond to attacks against Yemen.

Riyadh has previously fought the Houthis as part of a coalition that intervened in Yemen’s conflict in 2015. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis subsequently entered into a period of relative calm, with cross-border attacks largely reduced.

The renewed attacks represent a challenge to that period of de-escalation and raise concerns over the security of Saudi Arabia’s major population centers and energy infrastructure.

Yanbu is particularly significant because of its role in Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. The city hosts major export facilities on the Red Sea and is connected to the kingdom’s extensive network of oil infrastructure.

The reports of smoke and flames near Riyadh’s airport also highlight the potential impact of the latest escalation on civilian areas and transport infrastructure.

Saudi authorities have not said that the airport itself was hit.

Violence flares in West Bank as Israeli and Palestinian deaths reported

Violence flared in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, with an Israeli man killed in a shooting and a Palestinian driver killed by Israeli soldiers in a separate incident.

Israeli police said a Palestinian gunman opened fire from a vehicle at Israelis gathered near a spring close to the settlement of Neve Tzuf, near Ramallah. Security forces were searching for the attacker, according to an Israeli military official.

Medics who reached the scene found an Israeli man in a car suffering from critical gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead, police said.

Reuters footage showed traffic building up at Israeli checkpoints near Ramallah following the shooting, as security forces increased their presence in the area.

The Israeli military later reported a separate incident farther north in the West Bank, saying soldiers had killed a Palestinian driver who attempted to ram them near the settlement of Ganim.

The military described the incident as a ramming attack. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the Israeli account or establish what had led to the confrontation.

It was also unclear whether the two incidents were connected. They took place on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed security agencies to strengthen their presence in the area. He also called for arrests and what he described as offensive operations against those responsible for attacks.

Hamas praised the shooting near Neve Tzuf but did not claim responsibility for the attack.

The latest incidents come amid a broader escalation of violence across the West Bank since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.

The period has seen an increase in attacks by Palestinian militants against Israelis, alongside Israeli military raids and operations across Palestinian areas. Palestinians have also faced a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers, according to international and human rights organizations.

The West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East conflict, has remained a major flashpoint in the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli settlements have expanded there over decades, while Palestinians seek the territory as part of a future independent state.

The latest violence adds to concerns about further escalation in the territory, where Israeli security operations and Palestinian attacks have continued despite diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.

With security forces still searching for the gunman, authorities had not provided further details about his identity or whether he had links to an organized militant group.