Morning update

17 August 2026 07:36 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: Jared Kushner and Egyptian President Sisi met in Egypt for talks on the war on Gaza and other regional issues on Sunday, according to a press release by the Egyptian Presidency. Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy also held a rare meeting with Hamas' political chief, Khalil al-Hayya. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he is "Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement." He said the deal “shows how the Middle East is coming together", adding that they will be able to have better solutions to defend themselves. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed down over the weekend following attacks on vessels, according to ship tracking data from Kpler showed. A total of five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none recorded for Sunday, in comparison to 31 vessels transiting last weekend. A senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Iran's enemies to "anticipate strategic surprises" as he said Tehran is set to shift from a defensive stance to an offensive one. "Whatever is necessary to defend this land, ensure security, and neutralise enemy threats will be executed at the appropriate time," he added The Israeli army is planning for a possible escalation in Lebanon that would last for a number of days, according to Israel's Channel 12. The broadcaster claimed that Israeli exercised "restraint" in recent times so that talks with Lebanon remain unaffected. The army has killed over 4,346 people since early March, with 12,301 others wounded in the same period. Yemen's internationally recognised government said it launched artillery attacks against the Houthis in the northern al-Jawf Governorate. In a post on X, the Yemeni Saudi-backed forces said they targeted "gatherings and dens" belonging to Houthis in the area.