Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including the Israeli army imposing a curfew on a West Bank town amid a siege of Palestinian families, Iran rejecting US claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz, an Israeli drone strike killing a Palestinian in Gaza despite the ceasefire, the UAE condemning an attack on two oil vessels in Hormuz, and the US Senate minority leader calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired.
The Israeli army raided the town of Qusra, south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, on Thursday and imposed a curfew amid mounting tensions as Israeli occupiers continued to besiege three Palestinian families for a fourth consecutive day.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that a large Israeli military force entered the town, deploying infantry troops and dozens of military vehicles throughout its streets. Israeli forces imposed a curfew and ordered shops to close.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters rejected US claims of full control over the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining that the strategic waterway remains under Tehran's control.
"The false US claims regarding the normal passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which reflect the helplessness and confusion of that country's military, are nothing but falsehoods and baseless lies," the military command said in a statement.
A Palestinian was killed and another injured Thursday in an Israeli drone strike targeting an electric bike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a medical source.
The source told Anadolu that the drone struck the bike in the Al-Amal neighborhood west of the city. The attack came amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, which have killed 1,260 Palestinians and injured 4,154 others as of Thursday, according to the Health Ministry.
The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned what it described as an Iranian attack late Thursday targeting two vessels affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said no injuries were reported in the attack, which it described as a "flagrant violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 on freedom of navigation. It called on Iran to halt the attacks and ensure the "complete and unconditional reopening" of the strait.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Thursday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired amid reports of difficult conditions faced by sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
"When Pete Hegseth was nominated, everyone knew he was completely incompetent," Schumer said in a post on US social media platform X, adding that sailors are "paying the price in a horrific and unfathomable way."
The heads of six Arab national football associations voiced support Thursday for FIFA President Gianni Infantino as he faces mounting pressure to resign over an abandoned plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to FIFA competitions.
The joint statement backing Infantino was signed by the presidents of the football federations of Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, and Mauritania. Four of the signatories are also members of the FIFA Council.
Infantino's future should be decided by the organization's 211 member associations in next year's election, said Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced Thursday that it had withdrawn its support for Infantino's reelection as FIFA president.
- Global aviation has contributed $4.1T so far to world economy in 2026: Report
The global aviation ecosystem has contributed $4.1 trillion so far to the world economy in 2026, with prospects for further growth during the rest of the year, according to a new report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Istanbul Airport broke its all-time daily passenger record in Türkiye and Europe on Saturday, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said Thursday.
China's Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC) became the world's third-largest NAND flash memory supplier by shipment volume in the second quarter of 2026, according to data fromCounterpoint Research.
German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd incurred around $600 million in additional costs in the second quarter due to the conflict in the Middle East, the company said Thursday.
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday imposing tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and their components, citing national security and supply chain concerns.
The measure imposes a 100% tariff on drones considered particularly sensitive for national security, including those weighing more than 25 kilograms or equipped with thermal imaging capabilities. Smaller drones without certain sensitive capabilities and other components will face a 25% tariff.
Drones and components from the EU, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan will face a 15% tariff, while qualifying imports from the UK will be subject to a 10% rate.
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