Morning update

8 September 2026 06:22 BST Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: The spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that 73 people, including women and children, were wounded after Houthis launched attacks in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. In a statement posted on X, Turki al-Maliki vowed that the coalition will respond firmly to the assaults. Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have called for Israel to sanction Britain over the Falkland Islands, as the UK government prepares to announce a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Iran’s acting defence minister has rejected Washington’s claims that Tehran lacks the technical capability to hit US warships enforcing the naval blockade of the country's ports. Majid Ibn Reza responded to these remarks by stressing that Iran has the technology to do so. "God willing, you will see; you will see the results," he said when asked if Iranian troops could target US vessels. The latest death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon has risen to 4,362 people since the start of March, with 12,378 others left wounded, he health ministry announced. This bring the total casualties since 8 October 2023 to 6 September of this year to 8,929 people killed and 30,614 wounded. Hamas late on Monday accused Israel of trying to conceal the evidence of "brutal crimes" committed against Palestinians in Gaza amid its genocidal war for over two years. The movement said Israel attempted to "obliterate evidence" through "removing, crushing and relocating the rubble", despite the presence of "bodies of thousands of missing people and material evidence of the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation over two years".