UAE intercepts incoming Iranian drone, and other news from the Middle East

A mourner chants slogan as she holds a poster with graphic depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a ceremony commemorating the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian drone was intercepted early Monday over United Arab Emirates territorial waters, the Defence Ministry said. The attack followed an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States on the weekend, which was the first significant military action in the war for more than a month.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Iranian drone intercepted on way toward United Arab Emirates

Iran fired a drone at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, which the UAE’s Defence Ministry said was intercepted over its territorial waters.

After more than a month with no significant fighting, the U.S. attacked rocket launchers on an Iranian island on Sunday, saying they were preparing to launch mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, all of which were intercepted.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country was not seeking war, but that “we will respond decisively to aggressors. The UAE called the attack a “dangerous escalation” from Iran.

During the lull in fighting, the U.S. has been ratcheting up economic pressure on Iran with the hope of forcing concessions out of Tehran, including reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

Lebanon asks for Greek help to bring peace with Israel

Lebanon’s Joseph Aoun is asking for Greece’s help in implementing an agreement to end the war with Israel.

During meetings on Monday in Athens, Aoun told Greek President Constantine Tassoulas and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Lebanon has been through long wars and “its people are tired.”

He suggested that Greece has good relations with both Lebanon and Israel and could help facilitate an end to decades of war.

In comments aired by local TV stations, Aoun referred to the U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel that was signed in late June, saying “we ask Greece to do all it can to help Lebanon in implementing the agreement.”

In an apparent reference to daily Israeli airstrikes and shelling despite a June 20, Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Aoun said that “trying to solve the problem through military force will not succeed.”

He said that the agreement “should not be implemented by one side but both sides.”

Mitsotakis told Aoun that “the security of Lebanon and Israel are not conflicting goals.”

“Greece, as a traditional friend of both Lebanon and the Arab world, but also a strategic partner of Israel, stands ready to support every effort toward de-escalation and mutual understanding,” he said.

American aircraft carrier heading toward Thailand for port call after lengthy deployment

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is nearing Thailand, where it is expected to make a port visit after its lengthy deployment to the Middle East.

The carrier with some 5,000 sailors and its accompanying battle group was sailing Monday toward the Gulf of Thailand where it was expected to make a port call near the city of Pattaya.

The Lincoln, one of the U.S. navy’s largest warships, was supporting the U.S. war against Iran. Its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days.

The Associated Press