*Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announce a maritime embargo of their foe Saudi Arabia after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.

*A vessel is on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile forcing the crew to abandon ship. They were later rescued by a tugboat.

*Hamas says Khalil al-Hayya has been chosen as head of its political bureau succeeding Yahya Sinwar who was killed by Israel in Gaza in 2024.

*A US service member has died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, according to CENTCOM. (Aljazeera, 2026-07-20)