Under Pressure | Alhurra
With a cease-fire that’s all but over, the U.S. and Iran traded strikes this week without sparing regional neighbors. Iran attacked U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, dragging Gulf Arab nations into the conflict.
In Iraq, an anti-corruption probe that seized assets of more than $250 million is rattling the political class. In Syria, Washington wants foreign fighters out. In Yemen, the Houthis are reviving threats against Saudi Arabia. Across the Gulf, a proposed Saudi-Turkish railway could redraw trade routes, much to Israel’s alarm. And in Gaza, Hamas announced a retreat from performing government functions–but it may be mostly a face-saving acknowledgement of reality.
This weekly roundup of our best reporting on the Middle East and Washington is also published in Arabic. If you were forwarded this newsletter, subscribe here. We’d love to hear from you at thebriefing@mbn-news.com.
This Week on MBN
Inside Iraq’s Corruption Sweep
Iraqi authorities deployed checkpoints throughout the Green Zone, stopping and searching vehicles for cash said to be headed out of the heavily fortified district.
There’s a major anti-corruption sweep going on in Iraq targeting officials, lawmakers and former advisers, reports Mustafa Saadoun. Sources told Alhurra that authorities have seized cash, gold, properties, cars, and weapons worth more than $250 million. The case began with former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, whose testimony is now driving the investigation. The probe has already shaken Iraq’s political class, with some lawmakers fearing they could be next. Officials expect more arrests and more seized assets as the investigation expands.
Read the article here
Baghdad Pushes Back on Iran’s Militias
Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi during the meeting he held with Araghchi in Baghdad on July 28.
Iraq’s prime minister is taking a hard line with Iran over armed factions operating outside state control. In exclusive reporting for MBN, Mustafa Saadoon reveals tense meetings in Baghdad with Iran’s foreign minister and Quds Force commander. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi directly challenged Tehran’s support for militias, asking whether Iran would accept the same interference in its own security affairs. Zaidi also said Iraq no longer needs advisers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, according to Alhurra’s sources.
Read the exclusive here
Syria’s Foreign Fighter Trap
Members of the Khaled Battalion, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, take part in a military parade in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 27, 2024, following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah
Syria’s new leaders rely on thousands of foreign fighters to keep the country secure, but those same forces are becoming a major political problem. Congress is trying to tie U.S. military aid to the removal of these fighters from Syria’s security forces, reports MBN’s Alexis Thomas. At the same time, they remain important in the fight against ISIS and in containing Hezbollah and Iranian influence. The presence of foreign fighters also raises fears of sectarian violence and deeper Israeli involvement. The result is a difficult balancing act that could shape Syria’s future relations with both Washington and its neighbors.
Read the article here
Saudi-Turkish Rail Plan Rattles Israel
Plans for a major cross-border railway linking the Gulf to Europe prompts Israeli officials to warn against regional trade alliances that could undermine Israel’s strategic position.
A Saudi-Turkish railway plan is upsetting Israel because it could link the Gulf to Europe without passing through Israeli territory. The route would run through Jordan, Syria, and Turkey, offering Gulf states a land route as a potential alternative to vulnerable sea lanes, such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandab. The project is becoming part of a bigger regional contest over trade and influence, reports MBN’s Mustafa Khatib. Israeli voices see it as a rival to the India-Europe corridor that would have placed Israel at the center of regional commerce. But major financing, security, and coordination challenges still stand in the way of the Gulf-Turkey railway plan getting off the ground.
Read the article here
Saudi-Houthi Tensions Return
Saudi army tanks are seen deployed near the Saudi-Yemeni border, in southwestern Saudi Arabia. AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP)
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement are rising again after a ceasefire in the Iran war was attained, reports MBN’s Sakina Abdallah. The Houthis, who are allied with Iran, are reviving threats against Riyadh while pressing for more financial support and political concessions. Abdallah asks whether quiet diplomacy can keep the peace process alive or whether the standoff is heading toward a new and dangerous escalation.
Watch the video here
When Defeat is Called Victory
Temporary shelters and the ruins of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza City, July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Hamas disbanded its Gaza government because it had effectively lost the ability to rule, says MBN Magazine contributor Abdulaziz Al-Khamis. The move, he argues, was presented as a way to remove Israeli pretexts, or their demands that Hamas dissolve its ruling government for the peace process to proceed. But in reality, Hamas was handing administration to a technocratic committee after war, destruction, and political failure. The article mocks the old Arab habit of turning military and political failure into heroic rhetoric. Al-Khamis says Gaza paid the price for a movement that put ideology above the state. This was not victory, he argues, but defeat repackaged as responsible governance.
Read the article here
Quote of the Week: F-35 to Turkey
I don’t think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets because that’ll upset the power balance in the Middle East, and it will threaten Israel
–Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, July 7, 2026