Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

In recent developments, US President Donald Trump declared that the US is initiating the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY. However, Trump did not specify any particular country or the actions Washington intends to undertake in response to Iran's support for Tehran.

Meanwhile, Israel's defense minister criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria. Israel maintains that it will not tolerate any actor threatening its security, as stated by Israel Katz on X.

Moreover, Mossad reportedly had a phone conversation with Syria’s foreign minister on August 14 to discuss Turkey's military presence in Syria. This call, made just before Israel attacked a military airbase in Irbil, represents one of the highest-level contacts between Israel and the administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

On the international front, Britain's foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, expressed disapproval of Israel's recent construction tender for the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank. Miliband termed the move an "unacceptable and destructive act" and hinted at further measures, including sanctions targeting those involved in illegal settlement expansion.

Lastly, the grandmother of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab has refused an Israeli military probe into her daughter's death. Instead, she demands an independent international investigation into the killing of Hind, six of her relatives, and two Palestine Red Crescent medics who attempted to rescue her.