US ambassador to Israel condemns settler attack on US journalist, and other Mideast news

The U.S. ambassador to Israel condemned a settler attack on an American journalist that left her needing surgery, in the latest incident of such violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, two helicopter pilots were killed Sunday in Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, which a Saudi military spokesperson said was due to a technical malfunction.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East. Read our full coverage here.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sharply condemned settler violence during an olive harvest in the West Bank that injured several Palestinians and Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine as “a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards.” In a post late Saturday on X, he called for “a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this.”

Levine was seriously injured in the attack Friday in the West Bank village of Abu Falah. Israeli police are also investigating an attack by Israeli settlers on European diplomats Saturday in another West Bank village. Settler violence against Palestinians has soared this year and spiked further in recent weeks as Israel plans to hold elections Oct. 27.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ambiguous in addressing Levine’s assault, condemning “violence against anyone” but referring to the attack as “alleged” and saying its circumstances remain unclear. Huckabee said Levine’s assault was “vicious” and “dishonorable,” and noted that she was clearly identified as a journalist when she was attacked.

Levine, an award-winning photojournalist who has covered conflict zones around the world for more than four decades, remains hospitalized in Tel Aviv as she recovers from hand surgery, broken ribs and other injuries she sustained in the attack. She said she was forced to the ground and beaten for more than 10 minutes by the settlers, who also stole her camera, passport and phone.

The Washington Post reiterated its call for a full and transparent investigation, though Israel rarely investigates settler violence fully. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, says around 94% of investigations into settler violence since 2005 have ended without an indictment, with just 3% leading to full or partial convictions.

A Saudi helicopter gunship crashed in southwestern Saudi Arabia, killing its two-member crew in an area close to the border with Yemen, due to a technical malfunction, a Saudi military spokesperson said Sunday. The helicopter crashed near the city of Najran, close to the Yemen border, in an area that has been caught up in fierce fighting between the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militants and a Saudi-led coalition attempting to contain them.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki made the statement hours after the Houthis claimed to have downed the Saudi helicopter.

The Houthis, a Shiite religious and political movement rooted in northern Yemen, are attacking Saudi Arabia because it supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the civil war. The Saudis have struggled to counter the latest attacks, even with far superior U.S.-supplied arms.

Egypt’s National Defense Council, which decides on the country’s high-level military and security affairs, has agreed to support its close ally Saudi Arabia in a major escalation of fighting between the kingdom and the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the council decided in a Sunday meeting to provide “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

The statement didn’t provide further details, but the council said it will also continue diplomatic efforts with regional and international parties to de-escalate the conflict.

El-Sissi said Saturday that his government will implement “any measure” to defend Saudi Arabia, and called for parliament to grant him the authorization to deploy troops and military equipment abroad. Parliament is set to meet later Sunday.

Two projectiles hit a vessel transiting off the United Arab Emirates early Sunday, wounding one person, a British military agency reported.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the tug sustained damage but is continuing its journey. The UKMTO did not identify the vessel and no group claimed responsibility for the attack. The tug was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, south of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which has faced blockades and attacks in recent months.

Iran appointed Mehrdad Akhlaghi, a longtime official in Iran’s defense industry, as the new defense minister on Sunday.

His predecessor, Aziz Nasirzadeh, was killed on the first day of U.S.-Israeli attacks Feb. 28, along with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian military commanders.

During a confirmation hearing, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that Iran would not yield to pressure or demands from other countries.

“We will resolutely defend our land and country and will not allow our enemies to covet our beloved homeland, just as we have no designs on anyone else’s territory,” Pezeshkian said.

Akhlaghi vowed that any miscalculation from Israel or the U.S. would prompt a “surprising and extensive” response.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A Palestinian uses a sling to hurl a stone as tear gas drifts among olive trees during clashes following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Members of the Israeli forces move amongst olive trees following a settler attack during harvest in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinians and activists collect olives following an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinian medics and an Israeli soldier attend to a Palestinian man shot by Israeli soldiers following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest ever aerial bombardments.

The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

One person was killed and five more were wounded in the attack, which sparked fires at both the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot, said local Gov. Alexander Beglov. A logistics center belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data center for local tech giant VK were also targeted, both companies confirmed.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday that its forces had destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, as well as the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the Black Sea.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agnecy Tass that Kyiv was “resisting” Moscow's invasion, but that Ukraine could not "change the current course of events.”

Meanwhile, a woman died and at least two other people were wounded, including a 6-year-old girl, after Russia launched two attacks on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said.

Two apartment buildings, 18 cars and an educational institution were damaged as a result of the attack, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Mykhailo Semikin said.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” in the 4 1/2-year-old war, but offered no details on it and Kyiv reported attacks by Moscow on energy sites after his statement.

Ukraine confirmed Thursday it had resumed attacks on Russian oil after a three-day hiatus.

Zelenskyy was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of his country’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks. The Ukrainian government initially said that it was heeding the ceasefire.

In a post on X Sunday, Zelenskyy said that in the week since Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire, Russia had attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times.

He also said that in the past night alone, energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions had been attacked and tens of thousands of families were still without power. He accused Russia of trying to cause a blackout.

“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting,” he wrote.

Zelenskyy also stressed that the war was continuing due to Russia’s invasion — not because Ukraine was defending itself.

“It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance. Thank you to everyone who understands this and helps,” he said.

Trump told reporters Saturday that they don’t know what his decision is yet regarding further sanctions on Russia, despite the executive order he signed Friday night waiving planned restrictions, citing a U.S national interest.

“We’ll figure it out, and you’ll figure it out. But it’s a very good decision, and it’s going to be a decision that’s good for the country, and I think good for the world,” Trump said at a fundraising dinner at his Florida estate.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A car burns after a Russian airstrike on a residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)