Morning update

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 19 August 2026 07:26 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here is a recap of the latest developments: Turkey has denied "frivolous" Israeli allegations that it posed a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, and said that accusations stem from Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to pursue his "expansionist and destabilizing policies" in the region ahead of elections. An explosion to a major pipeline in north eastern Syria has put a stop to gas flow from the Al-Jabsah gas plant, the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) said. This has resulted in the disruption of supplies to a number of power generation turbines. No workers in the area were reported injured in the blast. A Syrian Foreign Ministry diplomatic source has denied the existence of a security arrangement agreement between Syria and Israel, Al Jazeera reported. The source told the network that Israel targeted the Abu al-Duhur military airport in Irbil despite having been informed that no foreign force was present at the site. Israeli forces stormed the town of Jubata al-Khashab, in the northern countryside of Syria's Quneitra province, according to Syrian state television. A number of properties were searched during the raid, with two individuals abducted afterwards. Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately undermining negotiations. The movement issued a statement issued describing the Israeli attack in Gaza City which killed seven Palestinians - including a child - as a "new massacre" and a "deliberate escalation" .