| Drop Site Daily: September 28, 2026Israeli soldiers walk by a Palestinian vendor in the Old City market in occupied East Jerusalem. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images. Monday, September 28, 2026 – Iran: President Donald Trump expects more Iran talks. Iran files International Civil Aviation Organization complaint over U.S. flight restrictions. Eight U.S. Marines injured in previously undisclosed Iranian missile attack in Strait of Hormuz. Five arrested near UK airbase used for U.S. strikes on Iran. IRGC claims seizure of U.S. underwater vehicle in Hormuz. Middle East oil exports rebound as Saudi shipments surge. Yemen: Seven killed, 40 injured in Saudi strike on Taiz. EU’s Kallas calls for more ships for Red Sea mission as Ansarallah expand control. Palestine: Israeli strike kills woman, wounds several others in Gaza City. Israeli settlers attack Palestinian olive harvest amid occupied West Bank closure. Israeli settlers attack home of Palestinian-American in the occupied West Bank. Ben-Gvir threatens Palestinian prisoner with execution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited UAE, asked president to deny report he warned him before October 7 attack. Lebanon: Israeli airstrike hits southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations continue. Hezbollah chief calls for halt to direct Israel talks, says disarmament must follow Israeli withdrawal. U.S.: Troy Jackson defies consultants, denounces genocide in Gaza. Susan Collins bribery scandal mushrooming. New poll has Abdul El-Sayed leading Mike Rogers 48-44%, Trump badly underwater. Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson reaches new levels of Iran war incoherence. New poll finds Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister, at risk of losing South Carolina Senate seat. International: Myanmar military airstrike kills at least 33 people in Rakhine state. Pro-government forces capture strategic Tigray town as Ethiopia fighting escalates. France’s far-right National Rally expands Senate presence ahead of 2027 presidential election. Ukrainian strikes force fourth Russian refinery shutdown in under a week. RSF commander defects to Sudanese army with 50 fighters. Final U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq amid Kurdish leaders warnings. This is Drop Site Daily, our free news recap We send it Monday – Friday
IranTrump expects more Iran talks: President Donald Trump said he expects further U.S.-Iran talks this week, one day after rejecting Tehran’s seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear negotiations. “They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” Trump told Axios, adding when asked about renewed U.S. strikes: “I am always thinking about it.” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Washington rejected Iran’s proposal because it sought access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds and the lifting of sanctions, also citing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is “asking for everything up front,” he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remains ready for “real diplomacy,” but is also prepared for renewed war. “We came to forge peace,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran would remain steadfast against aggression “even if it comes to an apocalyptic war.” Qatari mediators have continued shuttle diplomacy and presented both sides with a compromise proposal, with regional sources telling Axios another round of indirect dialogue could take place as early as Monday. A source close to Iran’s UN delegation, however, told IRNA that no new round of negotiations is currently scheduled and that Tehran is awaiting a U.S. response through Qatari mediators.
Iran files ICAO complaint over U.S. flight restrictions: Iran filed a formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization over U.S. flight restrictions and is pursuing the restoration of routes suspended by several countries. Iran’s CAO chief told state media Iran is working through diplomatic and legal channels to restore flights, including to Baghdad and Najaf, with Najaf expected to resume services “in the coming days.” The U.S. sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines on September 8 and threatened secondary sanctions against airports and companies providing Iranian aircraft with fuel, landing services or ticket sales. Oman and the UAE have since suspended Iranian flights, while four Iraqi airports have halted them. Iraq’s ambassador to Iran said Monday that Najaf airport would resume Iranian flights within 24 hours, adding that Iraq had not ordered flights suspended but foreign ground-service companies had stopped servicing Iranian aircraft.
Eight U.S. Marines injured in previously undisclosed Iranian missile attack in Strait of Hormuz: Eight U.S. Marines were injured in an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile attack on a vessel they were operating aboard in the Strait of Hormuz on September 14, NBC reported. The Marines suffered smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries, including concussion symptoms such as headaches, but returned to duty soon afterward. Officials declined to identify the type of vessel involved but said it was not a U.S. Navy ship. The Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System added the eight Marines to its casualty count nearly ten days after the attack. The database now records 861 U.S. service members injured in the war with Iran. Iran claimed it struck 19 ships in the Strait of Hormuz over the past two nights. Iranian officials said any ship crossing without authorization will face an armed response.
Five arrested near UK airbase used for U.S. strikes on Iran: Five men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a “terrorist” act near RAF Fairford, a military airbase in western England used by U.S. forces to launch attacks on Iran. Armed police made the arrests early Sunday after receiving reports of three suspicious vehicles apparently heading toward the base. President Donald Trump claimed the suspects intended to do “big damage” and said British and U.S. authorities were investigating. Police have not identified a suspected motive or said who they believe was involved, and no charges have been filed. Asked whether Iran could be involved, UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said it would be “very unwise” to speculate. The Iranian Embassy in the UK “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” speculation linking Iran to the incident.
IRGC claims seizure of U.S. underwater vehicle in Hormuz: The IRGC Navy claimed it seized a second unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Strait of Hormuz “through a coordinated and complex operation involving intelligence superiority and electronic warfare.” Middle East oil exports rebound as Saudi shipments surge: Crude exports from major Middle Eastern producers are on track to reach 12.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, their highest level since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began, according to Kpler data. The rebound was driven by increased Saudi and UAE shipments and a recovery in flows through the Strait of Hormuz, though exports remain well below February’s 18.8 million bpd. Saudi exports are expected to reach about 5.4 million bpd this month, up from 2.45 million in August, as the kingdom diverted shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu following attacks on its East-West pipeline. Despite these rosy export projections, prices for oil remain near their highs. U.S. Treasury yields hit new post-financial crisis highs on both the 10-year and 30-year note as mortgage rates climbed above 7%.
Pezeshkian brings tons of pharmaceutical supplies from India as Iran faces medicine shortages: President Masoud Pezeshkian used his visit to India for the BRICS summit this month to transport several tons of pharmaceutical ingredients back to Iran on his private plane, The Financial Times reported. “In the past, shortages were mainly limited to biological medicines or medications for difficult-to-treat diseases,” a pharmacist in Tehran told the FT. “Now, even basic painkillers and very common psychiatric medications are unavailable.”
YemenSeven killed, 40 injured in Saudi strike on Taiz: Seven people were killed and 40 others, including children, in a strike at the Mawiya junction in Yemen’s Taiz province on Sunday. The Ansarallah Health Ministry said Saudi airstrikes hit commercial shops at the market. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government claimed its own forces targeted an Ansarallah military camp and vehicles at Mawiya. 164 people were killed and 645 injured in Yemen between September 19 and 26, according to the World Health Organization. Since August 6, WHO has documented 838 deaths among 4,481 casualties. Fighting has also displaced more than 180,000 people.
EU’s Kallas calls for more ships for Red Sea mission as Ansarallah expand control: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on member states to provide more ships to the bloc’s Aspides naval mission to protect Red Sea shipping, saying she has pushed for reinforcements but received no firm commitments. The EU launched Aspides in February 2024 to protect commercial vessels from attacks in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters. Recent territorial advances have left Ansarallah positioned around 20 kilometers from the African coast and with effective control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
PalestineIsraeli strike kills woman, wounds several others in Gaza City: An Israeli airstrike targeted a home that was sheltering displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza City, according to WAFA, killing a Palestinian woman and wounding several others. Israeli settlers attack Palestinian olive harvest amid occupied West Bank closure: Israeli authorities imposed a week-long closure across the occupied West Bank on Sunday, tightening restrictions at checkpoints and military barriers, citing Jewish holidays. Ramallah and Al-Bireh: Settlers stole olives from Palestinian land in Sinjil, Turmus Ayya and Umm Safa, while others set fire to a Palestinian-owned vehicle in Deir Abu Mashal. The attacks come as the olive harvest begins, a period during which Palestinian farmers frequently face attacks on their trees, crops, and access to agricultural land.
Jenin: Settlers entered agricultural land in Khirbet Masoud with tractors and stole harvested olives, according to WAFA. Nablus: Israeli settlers attacked a 75-year-old Palestinian man while he was on his land in Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, beating him and pouring boiling water on his body, WAFA reported. Hebron: Israeli forces raided the town of Al-Samu and the Bir Haram Al-Rama area of Hebron alongside settlers. In Masafer Yatta, settlers cut and stole electricity cables.
Katz, Ben-Gvir lead over 1,270 Israelis into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led at least 1,271 Israelis into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, on the third day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Groups performed religious rituals under heavy Israeli police protection. Israeli settlers attack home of Palestinian-American in the occupied West Bank: Israeli settlers attacked the home of 78-year-old Palestinian-American Mustafa Zaater and his wife on Sunday in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, setting fire to three of his vehicles, smashing doors and windows, and attempting to enter the house. Zaater told Drop Site contributor Mutasem Sqf ElHait that dozens of settlers, some carrying weapons, approached from the northern and southern sides of the area at around 1:30 a.m. “They want to drive us out of here,” Zaater said. “This is our land and our property. We’re not going to give it to them and leave.” Residents eventually pushed the settlers back, Abu Falah village council member Omar Hamayel, adding that Israeli forces fired tear gas at them after the settlers had withdrawn. Watch Sqf ElHait’s dispatch here.
Ben-Gvir threatens Palestinian prisoner with execution: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published footage Sunday showing him inside the prison cell of Palestinian prisoner Hassan Salama, telling him: “I want to kill you. … I want you executed.” Salama, 55, has been imprisoned since 1996 and is serving 48 life sentences over his alleged role in a series of Hamas-orchestrated attacks. He has spent a total of more than 14 years in solitary confinement. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society condemned Ben-Gvir’s threat, saying it reflected a broader Israeli policy rather than an isolated act and warning that such public threats could precede attempts to kill Palestinian prisoner leaders.
Netanyahu secretly visited UAE, asked president to deny report he warned him before October 7 attack: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the UAE on Sunday for a meeting with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, two people briefed on the trip told the Associated Press. The meeting focused on a Haaretz report that Sheikh Mohamed had warned Netanyahu of a looming Hamas attack shortly before October 7, 2023. Netanyahu asked the Emirati president to publicly deny the report, a source with firsthand knowledge of the meeting told the AP. Netanyahu’s office has denied receiving such a warning.
Israel revokes status of Dutch diplomats over settlement goods ban: Israel revoked the status of diplomats representing the Netherlands in Ramallah, giving them seven days to return their Israeli-issued diplomatic documents, in response to Dutch measures targeting Israeli settlements.
LebanonIsraeli airstrike hits southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations continue: Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on Monday between the towns of Mayfadoun and Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh governorate, while Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Zibqin and valleys near Yater, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). Hezbollah chief calls for halt to direct Israel talks, says disarmament must follow Israeli withdrawal: Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called Sunday for Lebanon to freeze direct negotiations with Israel and return to “indirect” talks, while saying Hezbollah is prepared to discuss the state’s monopoly on weapons only after Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory. Qassem called the U.S.-sponsored Framework Agreement a “shameful concession of all the cards” Lebanon could use to secure its rights and accused the government of “helping the Israeli-American project instead of confronting it.” He said the president has the right to negotiate, but not to “give up Lebanon’s right to defend its land.” Qassem said Hezbollah is “ready for dialogue and discussion” over its weapons but insisted the “liberation of the south” must come first. Qassem also pledged Hezbollah would contribute to shelter and reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon and said it would soon announce its participation in a housing project.
U.S. NewsTroy Jackson defies consultants, denounces Gaza genocide: Troy Jackson, the Democratic candidate running against Sen. Susan Collins, has been instructed by his campaign consultants to moderate his language around Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to call for an end merely to “offensive weapons,” according to new reporting from Drop Site, which builds on an investigation by New York magazine. Yet at a candidate event on Saturday, he was directly pressed on the question and did not back off his previous stance, saying he believes Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza and that he won’t send further aid to the state of Israel. Video is here. Susan Collins bribery scandal mushrooming: The Portland Press-Herald is out with a scathing editorial blasting Collins for her flailing response to ProPublica’s bribery investigation: “It is extremely disappointing to watch Collins and members of her staff move to immediately discredit a thorough and fair piece of investigative journalism on political and personal grounds.” The headline is harsh: “It’s Maine’s turn to be concerned about Susan Collins.” New poll has Abdul El-Sayed leading Mike Rogers 48-44%, Trump badly underwater: The survey, conducted by the Senate Democratic super PAC, finds Democrat Abdul El-Sayed at 48% and Republican Mike Rogers at 44% among 800 likely Michigan voters in the U.S. Senate race—outside the margin of error. The survey also finds Trump’s job approval in Michigan at 37%, with 61% disapproving. Asked which concern better describes them, 51% said they were more concerned that Rogers “won’t stand up to Trump,” compared with 38% who said El-Sayed is “too risky for the economy.”
Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson reaches new levels of Iran war incoherence: At a press conference in Iowa, Rep. Ashley Hinson said she texted House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to call the House back into session to push for a “resolution to end the war” but stressed that she did not want to vote on another war powers resolution to end the war, which she has already voted against four times. “We don’t need another resolution on the House floor,” Hinson said. “We need a resolution to end the war as quickly as possible and the president can do that and I trust also our US military, the best fighting force in the world, to make sure we put every option on the table to get that done, but it needs to come to an immediate and successful end.”
Idaho Republican senator mum on candidate debates: The League of Conservation Voters has scheduled two candidate forums between now and election day, but incumbent Republican Jim Risch has yet to agree to join. In a sign of the expanding Senate map, Risch faces a credible challenge from independent antiwar candidate Todd Achilles, whose recent viral ad mimics a 1980s corporate instructional video, explaining to politicians how they can not start new wars. Angie Nixon calls for data center moratorium unless the project is built on Trump’s property: The Florida Democratic Senate candidate tells Newsweek: “I think there needs to be a moratorium until more research is done. Or if people want to build a data center, they should put it on Mar-a-Lago.” Angie Nixon remains badly outspent, as national Democrats have largely yet to jump in on her behalf. New poll finds Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister, at risk of losing South Carolina Senate seat: Pediatrician Annie Andrews is within a point of Graham in a new survey, giving Democrats flashbacks to the 2020 challenge to Graham by Jaime Harrison, who blew threw a staggering $130 million to lose by 10 points. Key differences in 2026: the environment is far worse for Republicans, Darline Graham is less popular than her brother, and Harrison served as South Carolina Democratic Party chair, making it impossible to distance himself from the party. Andrews is running as a more independent figure.
Other International NewsMyanmar military airstrike kills at least 33 people in Rakhine state: At least 33 people were killed and 36 injured in a military airstrike near a market in Kyauktaw, a town in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state controlled by the Arakan Army, according to the rebel group and a local aid worker. Local aid worker Wai Hun Aung said the strike hit an area “quite far from the fighting” and unrelated to active combat. The Arakan Army said the attack was among the deadliest airstrikes in Rakhine since a December 2025 strike on a hospital that killed at least 30 people.
Pro-government forces capture strategic Tigray town as Ethiopia fighting escalates: Ethiopia’s military and allied militias announced that they have taken Alamata, a key supply hub about 120 km south of Tigray’s capital Mekelle, Reuters reported. The reported capture would reverse some of the gains made by Tigrayan forces after they launched a new offensive last week and comes amid the most serious fighting since the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement ended Ethiopia’s devastating civil war. Ethiopia’s military has accused Eritrea, Sudan’s armed forces and Egypt of backing opposition forces. Internet and phone service in Tigray has also remained disrupted for several days. In separate fighting in the country this week Ethiopia’s military said it inflicted heavy losses on Tigrayan forces during fighting in northern Amhara and Afar.
Serbia’s president Vučic resigns, positioning himself to return as prime minister: President Aleksandar Vučic stepped down Sunday, seven months before his final term expired, allowing him to become prime minister if his Serbian Progressive Party forms a government after the October 25 snap parliamentary election. Parliamentary Speaker Ana Brnabić will serve as interim president, with a presidential vote to follow by December. The parliamentary election will pit Vučić’s ruling bloc against Students Win, an anti-corruption movement, and the pro-Western European Serbia alliance.
France’s far-right National Rally expands Senate presence ahead of 2027 presidential election: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and its allies emerged from Sunday’s indirect elections with a record 14 seats in France’s 348-member Senate, clearing the threshold to form an official parliamentary group for the first time. The result gives the far right additional resources and visibility as Le Pen prepares another presidential bid next year, when Emmanuel Macron leaves office. “The results have exceeded our expectations,” Le Pen said, calling the outcome a “historic victory.” National Rally first entered the Senate in 2014 with two seats.
Ukrainian strikes force fourth Russian refinery shutdown in under a week: Ukrainian drones hit another Russian refinery ablaze over the weekend, Reuters reported, as Kyiv’s campaign disrupts Russian fuel exports. Before the strikes, Russia exported roughly 900,000 to 1 million barrels of diesel a day—about 10% of global supply. Kpler data now puts its net diesel exports near 100,000 barrels a day. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces also struck a missile-components plant in Azov operated by Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation. Russia launched 173 drones overnight into Saturday and another 170 overnight into Sunday, with strikes recorded at 18 locations, according to Ukraine’s air force. Attacks killed at least two people in Kyiv and the Odessa region overnight into Sunday, while Kyiv endured near-continuous attacks for a second consecutive day.
RSF commander defects to Sudanese army with 50 fighters: A Rapid Support Forces commander, Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, and 50 fighters defected to the Sudanese military in Omdurman, Drop Site’s Godfrey Olukya reported. Sudanese army Major Ali Gubba said Saturday that the group arrived Friday in five trucks and was received by senior military and intelligence officials. Speaking to reporters, Wahidu attributed his departure to pervasive abuses within the RSF and urged other fighters to lay down their weapons and join the Sudanese armed forces. Gubba said many of the defectors belonged to the Mahamid clan, led by Musa Hilal, a former militia commander who split from the RSF and moved from North Darfur to government-held territory in February.
Final U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq amid Kurdish leaders warnings: The last U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by September 30, with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani warning that the departure leaves the region exposed to Iranian retaliation. “The threat is real—we are vulnerable, we are being attacked,” Barzani told the Financial Times, calling the prospect of being left without air defenses “shameful.” At least 1,000 Iranian drones and missiles have targeted Iraqi Kurdistan since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in February, according to the regional government, primarily targeting U.S. military sites and Iranian Kurdish opposition camps. The regional government says it has no air defenses of its own and that Baghdad controls their purchase. The State Department described the withdrawal as marking “an important page” in U.S.-Iraq relations.
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