Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt met in Islamabad to seek a plan to de-escalate the month-long Iran war. The talks, scheduled over the weekend, aim to coordinate regional stances and support political solutions as the conflict widens and concerns over regional stability grow. Pakistan has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran and its foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said dialogue and confidence-building measures are the only way forward. He also welcomed Iran’s agreement to allow 20 Pakistan‑flagged ships — roughly two per day — to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and new combatants entered the conflict. Yemen’s Iran‑aligned Houthi rebels launched a missile toward Israel on Saturday — the first Houthi strike in the war — which Israel intercepted. A Houthi spokesman said attacks would continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.” The Houthis previously fired on commercial ships in the Red Sea during Israel’s Gaza war, and there are worries renewed Houthi attacks could further disrupt global shipping, compounding pressure after Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher.
Iran and Israel continued large‑scale attacks over the weekend. Iran struck multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and, according to Israel’s military, has increasingly used cluster munitions. Cluster munitions disperse many smaller submunitions and are harder for air defenses to intercept; dozens of countries have signed a treaty banning them, though Iran, Israel and the U.S. have not.
Iranian authorities reported further airstrikes across Iran overnight. Iran also accused U.S.-Israeli forces of striking a Tehran university, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned American university campuses in the region could be legitimate targets, advising students, professors and employees to stay at least a kilometer from campuses. Several U.S. universities operate Gulf campuses, including New York University in the UAE and Texas A&M in Qatar.
Gulf states reported continued missile and drone activity. Kuwait said it intercepted missile and drone attacks early Sunday, and Saudi Arabia reported intercepting and destroying ten drones. Iran claimed strikes on two major aluminum facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates; Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an attack wounded several people and caused significant damage to a plant.
U.S. service members were among those affected. At least 15 U.S. troops were wounded in an Iranian missile and drone strike on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base outside Riyadh, including at least five in serious condition. The Pentagon has reported 13 U.S. service members killed and more than 300 injured overall since the war began. Reinforcements arrived: around 3,500 sailors and Marines from the Japan‑based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit reached the Middle East, and thousands more soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected. U.S. Central Command did not disclose deployment details or specific roles.
The conflict also intensified in Lebanon and along its border with Israel. An Israeli airstrike in Jezzine killed three Lebanese journalists covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. One worked for a Hezbollah‑affiliated channel; Israel later identified him as Ali Shaeb and accused him of exposing Israeli troop locations, an allegation it has not publicly substantiated. The other two were siblings — TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni. Lebanese officials called the strike a flagrant violation of international law and said they would complain to the U.N. Security Council. Hundreds of journalists held a vigil in Beirut. Lebanese health officials reported at least 47 people killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday, including nine paramedics, a loss the World Health Organization called a tragedy given protections for health workers under international law. Israel said its ground troops are pushing north in southern Lebanon to try to oust Hezbollah fighters; one Israeli soldier was also reported killed.
The war’s reach expanded to Syria and Iraq. Syria said it intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro‑Iranian Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on U.S. interests. Separately, an attack targeted the residence of Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani; both Syrian and UAE governments condemned that strike. French President Emmanuel Macron warned against drawing Iraq into the escalation and urged steps to preserve Iraqi sovereignty and stability. The Israeli army said it launched an attack into Lebanon from Syrian territory for the first time.
As the regional toll rises and new fronts open, the Islamabad talks are a diplomatic effort by four regional powers to halt further escalation. Whether any consensus reached by the “quad” will be accepted by the U.S., Israel or Iran remains uncertain. Contributors to the reporting included correspondents in Amman, Van, Jezzine, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg.