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🚨 The Maldives wants a permanent ban on Israeli passport holders. The government has sent a bill to parliament that would keep Israelis out of the country even if the situation in Gaza changes or a ceasefire is reached. via warsurv

Follow up: The IDF and Shin Bet say the overnight strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade. Hamas authorities say 6 people were killed and at least 20 wounded. The results are still under review.

Iran's Speaker Qalibaf says Tehran will "certainly help" any Islamic country attacked by Israel, citing its obligations toward Lebanon. He also says America First turned into Israel First, a miscalculation he blames for Washington's troubles. via Osint613

🚨 Iran's IRGC says two "rogue and criminal" supertankers blew up in the Strait of Hormuz last night. The tankers have not been named and there is no independent confirmation yet. Satellite sensors picked up a fresh fire on the waterway this morning. via MenchOsint

A Qatari delegation is on its way to Tehran this morning, with a Qatari Airbus A319 (A7 MHH) tracked flying over the Gulf into Iran. The trip comes hours after Speaker Qalibaf named Qatar and Pakistan as the official mediators with Washington. via MenchOsint

Alice Huang, the Megaspeed founder accused of spying for China, is in Beijing and Chinese security officials know she is there, Bloomberg reports. She vanished from view after Jensen Huang admitted an affair. Beijing denies she is a spy. via Osint613

Follow up: Qalibaf asks what business the US has in Hormuz "from 12,000 kilometers away," saying it should leave if the strait does not affect it. He also said China's mediation of Iran Saudi ties could be a model for regional stability.

Up to 1,000 Phantom MK1 humanoid robots could be sent into Hamas tunnels in Gaza under a deal the IDF is discussing with Foundation Future Industries. The robots can spot tripwires, defuse booby traps and fight, at about $150,000 each. No deal is confirmed yet.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel needs no approval from the opposition or any legal authority to direct the IDF. He says that covers Gaza strikes, Lebanon, Syria and Judea and Samaria, and on Iran the same approach applies as needed. via Osint613

Iran's Speaker Qalibaf tells Al Jazeera that Qatar and Pakistan are now the two official mediators between Tehran and Washington. He also praised Moscow: "We hold Mr. Putin in particular respect," calling Russia a friendly country and a close strategic partner.

Trump has authorized a fresh crackdown on companies suspected of slipping Nvidia's advanced AI chips into China, Axios reports. It is the third time this year he has signed off on such a move. via Osint613

Russian strikes have pushed Ukraine's power grid close to collapse. In Kyiv, some families now go up to 20 hours a day without electricity, and with it lose lifts, water and heating. A major power plant hit by a missile may not be back before next summer. via BBC

🚨 Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Moscow for talks with Putin, the next step in Washington's push to end the war in Ukraine. They come straight from the Abu Dhabi round, which closed with a deal on the war's biggest prisoner swap. via warsurv

France has warned Germany that its plan for new ground launched missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km could be misread by Moscow and trigger Russian nuclear retaliation. Paris wants Berlin to spell out exactly when and how the missiles would ever be used.

🚨 Satellite thermal imagery is picking up a fresh fire in the Strait of Hormuz right now, possibly from a strike on a ship. There is no word yet on which vessel was hit, or whether it is linked to the ship that burned there yesterday. via AB4_Ali3

🚨 Israel's military and the Shin Bet say they struck a senior Hamas operative and other militants inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis overnight. They claim Hamas used the complex as a command center to store weapons and hold interrogations. via Osint613

The Black Sea, not the Strait of Hormuz, is this year's deadliest waterway: attacks there have killed more people than strikes on shipping in the US Iran war. The toll is disrupting trade routes and piling pressure on NATO. via The Wall Street Journal

Yemen's Houthis deny Saudi claims they aimed a drone at Mecca, saying they targeted a Yanbu pumping station and Riyadh's King Khalid airport. The WHO says Yemen's war casualties have hit 11,755, with over 320,000 people displaced since August 1. via Al Jazeera

Bernie Sanders on Iran: "The Vietnam War was based on a lie. The Iraq War was based on a lie. And I think the Iran war was also based on a lie." The Vermont senator is one of the loudest voices in Congress against the war. via warsurv

Myanmar: Karen fighters and PDF members were filmed launching an attack on Burmese army soldiers. One of the fighters appears to be carrying a rare US made M60 general purpose machine gun.