More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compond  in occupied East Jerusalem in one of the largest incursions this year as they mark a Jewish holiday, Palestinian officials say.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the site under heavy police protection on Thursday for Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning that marks the destruction twice of an ancient Jewish temple believed to have stood at the site known to Muslims as Al-Aqsa and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate said 4,288 Israelis had so far entered the compound.

This number was expected to keep rising until sundown, perhaps reaching 5,000, the governorate said, which would exceed the numbers recorded in previous years during the same Jewish holiday.

Palestinian officials said Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions at the mosque’s gates, barred large numbers of Palestinian worshippers and students from entering, and assaulted several worshippers.

Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said Israeli authorities had “taken extreme measures in the Old City” of Jerusalem, including barring entry to the Al-Aqsa compound for all but the elderly and tightening checkpoints such as those at Qalandiya and around East Jerusalem.

Israeli settlers performed Talmudic rituals inside the compound, including prostrating themselves, singing and praying, the Jerusalem governorate said.

Israeli media reported that police allowed more than 1,000 Israelis to pray at the site on Thursday. While non-Muslims are allowed to visit Islam’s third holiest site, they are forbidden from praying there as part of a 1967 agreement.

Ben-Gvir said Jews visiting the site on Tisha B’Av “feel like the owners”, praising what he called “tremendous progress” there, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

[Aljazeera]

The United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a civilian nuclear cooperation deal, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced, as Washington and Riyadh push to deepen ties.

The US Department of Energy hailed the agreement as “historic” on Wednesday, saying that US companies will provide nuclear technology to the kingdom.

The deal consists of an accord under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, known as a 123 agreement, “alongside an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement”, the department said.

“These agreements reflect our two nations’ shared commitment to strengthening US-Saudi commercial relations, delivering prosperity at home and security to our allies abroad,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

“Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States.”

Some US media reports have suggested that the deal will allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically rather than import nuclear fuel from the US.

The Energy Department’s statement did not provide details on enrichment. If the reports are confirmed, the deal is likely to face opposition in Washington.

The statement called the agreement a “decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership” and said it will now be submitted to Congress for review.

Trump, together with Israel, launched a war on Iran in February to prevent the country from enriching uranium and acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking.

[Aljazeera]

The United States military says that two service members have been killed and four medically evacuated following an Iranian missile and drone attack in Jordan.

In a statement shared on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said that one service member remains missing following an Iranian strike on Friday.

“On July 17, two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as US Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action,” the statement reads.

“Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. Other personnel who were evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty.

“Out of respect for the families, CENTCOM will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen warriors, until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.”

The statement appears to be the first US confirmation of fatalities resulting from renewed Iranian strikes on US forces, following the breakdown of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that temporarily paused fighting between the US and Israel, and Iran.

Responding to the deaths of the two service members, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve”.

CENTCOM later announced that it was launching retaliatory airstrikes against Iran at President Trump’s direction.

[Aljazeera]