Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Pentagon says Iraq now responsible for addressing Iran-aligned militias
The Iraqi government now bears primary responsibility for addressing Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and regional stability, the Pentagon said as it announced the end of the US-led military mission in Iraq.
“The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq's remaining security challenges, including ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias that undermine Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability, now rests with the Government of Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The United States and its coalition partners formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, with coalition forces and equipment departing Erbil Air Base, according to the statement.
The Pentagon said US forces would continue providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
“The United States remains committed to counterterrorism and will continue to work with Iraq and our partners to ensure ISIS can never reconstitute from Iraqi territory,” read the statement.
Iraq speaker says Iran gave no Hormuz exemption to Iraqi tankers
Iraq's parliament speaker Haibat al-Halbousi said on Wednesday that Iran had not exempted Iraqi tankers from restrictions on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Arabiya reported.
"Iran did not exempt Iraqi tankers from the navigation ban in Hormuz," al-Halbousi told Al Arabiya in an interview.
He also said Baghdad wanted its relationship with Tehran to be based on respect for Iraqi sovereignty.
"We respect our relationship with Iran and want respect for Iraqi sovereignty internally," he said.
Al-Halbousi also said there was concern about the security situation inside Iraq, according to Al Arabiya.
US completes orderly departure from Erbil Air Base, CENTCOM says
The United States has completed the orderly departure of its forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, US Central Command said on Wednesday.
CENTCOM said the move marked the end of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq and was part of a planned transition to a bilateral defense relationship between Washington and Baghdad.
The coalition mission remains operational from Jordan, where US forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government.
“Because of your grit, sacrifice and professionalism, ISIS no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq’s national security and Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, now possess the capacity, leadership, and operational independence to unilaterally manage threats to their homeland,” CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said.
“As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq’s security to the Government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq, U.S. and Coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise,” Cooper said. “Maintaining our vigilance and readiness is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security.”
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 30, 2026
Second Dubai-Tel Aviv flight turns back to Dubai - Israeli media
A second flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned back to Dubai while en route, Israel's N12 reported on Wednesday.
Iran says flights to Russia operating normally
Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said flights between the two countries were operating normally and that Tehran hoped services would expand.
"Flights between Iran and Russia are running without disruption," Jalali said, according to ISNA, adding that services were operating between Tehran and Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities.
He said two Iranian airlines currently fly to Russia six days a week.
Israel-bound plane pilot stabbed by co-pilot causing jet to plunge 18K feet, sparking hijacking fears: officials
An Israel-bound passenger plane pilot was reportedly stabbed several times by the jet’s co-pilot in the cockpit — and the terrifying scenes caused the aircraft to plunge almost 20,000 feet in minutes, sparking fears of a “terrorist attack in mid-air.”
The jet, which departed Dubai for Tel Aviv just before 7 a.m., was cruising at around 34,000 feet before violence broke out in the cockpit around two-and-a-half hours into the flight, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
The co-pilot tried to take control of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which was carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, and attacked the pilot several times, the outlet reported.
“We were either going to crash or be murdered,” one passenger told I24 News.
Israeli officials have announced a terrorism investigation.
“One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11,” an official said, according to Channel 12.
“A very serious disaster was averted,” they said, fearing a repeat of the July 1976 incident where an Air France Flight bound for Paris was hijacked.
The jet dropped from an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet to around 15,400 feet in just 12 minutes, according to FlightAware data.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as a precaution and the flight crew and passengers rushed to stop the aggressor. The plane made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia — a civilian and military base in the kingdom.
Pictures have since surfaced showing passengers covered in blood, the Mail reported.
FlyDubai — the low-cost sister carrier of Emirates airlines—operated the flight. A spokesperson confirmed an incident occurred and that the plane landed safely in Tabuk.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the carrier said. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the spokesperson said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation is under control, with officials working to put passengers on alternative flights.
The flight left Dubai just before 7 a.m. Wednesday and the UAE has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the countries normalized relations in 2020.
Israelis were targeted in a string of hijackings and airplane attacks by Palestinian militants in the 1960s and 1970s.