Daily Report September 29, 2026: South Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco and Iran in Focus
Daily Report September 29, 2026 brought a dense sequence of developments across the Middle East and beyond, from Israeli strikes and shelling in southern Lebanon to Iraq’s approaching deadline for the end of the U.S.-led coalition’s military mission, Morocco’s historic appointment of its first female prime minister and continuing mediation between the United States and Iran.
Diplomatic activity also continued over Ukraine, the European Union intensified its engagement with Damascus, U.S. bond yields climbed to levels not seen in more than two decades, and Anthropic disclosed one of the largest infrastructure commitments yet seen in the artificial intelligence race.
Daily Report | South Lebanon: airstrikes, artillery fire and explosions
Profile News correspondents in southern Lebanon reported Israeli airstrikes on Baraachit, Kfar Tibnit and Qantara on September 29.
Artillery fire was also reported in Kfar Tibnit, Arnoun, Srebbine, Mansouri, Wadi Zibqin, Wadi al-Salouqi, Houla, Majdalzoun, Aita al-Jabal, Baraachit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Hadatha, Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Mais al-Jabal.
Explosions were additionally reported in Majdalzoun, Mansouri, Mais al-Jabal, Bani Hayyan, Buyout al-Sayyad, Khiam and Houla.
Iraq approaches the end of the coalition mission
Iraq moved closer to the September 30 deadline for ending the U.S.-led international coalition’s military mission.
An Iraqi military spokesperson said the coalition mission would formally end the following day and said U.S. forces had withdrawn to the United States and bases in neighboring countries, while security cooperation would continue through other arrangements.
The question of weapons outside state control also moved back to the center of Iraq’s domestic debate. The spokesperson said three major factions had handed their weapons to the state, while some other groups would be incorporated into the Popular Mobilization Forces under new names.
Morocco appoints its first female prime minister
King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first woman prime minister following the September 23 parliamentary election.
Her Authenticity and Modernity Party won 97 of the 395 seats in parliament, finishing first without securing an outright majority.
Profile News previously covered the Morocco election 2026, which reshaped the parliamentary balance and opened the way for coalition negotiations.
US-Iran diplomacy continues alongside new sanctions
Qatar said its mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran were continuing, with Doha conveying messages between the two sides and trying to establish common ground.
U.S. President Donald Trump denied reports that Washington had offered sanctions relief in exchange for Iranian nuclear concessions, while Tehran said it remained prepared for talks without accepting pressure.
The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned 10 individuals and entities it said had procured weapons and weapons components for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
Washington and Moscow discuss Ukraine and postwar energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev held talks in Washington with U.S. officials on possible paths to ending the war in Ukraine and potential U.S.-Russia energy cooperation after the conflict.
A U.S. official described the talks as constructive. Dmitriev also met representatives of the Treasury and Energy departments.
Europe steps up engagement with Damascus
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Damascus and met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, with discussions covering economic partnerships, sanctions and Syria’s political transition.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus wanted a new partnership agreement with the European Union and called for remaining sanctions on Syrian state institutions to be removed.
Kallas emphasized investment, reconciliation and accountability, while welcoming steps toward reintegrating northeast Syria and calling for continued dialogue with Sweida.
Strait of Hormuz: vessel hit by unknown projectile
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said it received a delayed report on September 29 that a vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz the previous evening.
A fire broke out aboard the vessel but was later extinguished. The ship continued its voyage and no crew injuries were reported.
Markets: long-term US yields hit their highest since 2002
The yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond rose as high as 5.6206%, its highest level since June 2002, while the benchmark 10-year yield reached 5.293%, its highest since 2007.
Oil prices fell as signs emerged that Middle East crude exports were recovering. Brent settled at $102.59 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate closed at $89.38.
Spot gold rose to around $4,174 an ounce as investors continued to weigh inflation, interest rates and geopolitical risk.
Anthropic’s $518 billion AI infrastructure bet
Documents reviewed by Reuters showed that Anthropic plans at least $518 billion in long-term cloud, computing and infrastructure commitments over the next decade.
The scale of the commitments underscores how capital-intensive competition among frontier AI developers has become as companies race to secure computing capacity.
Gaza and the West Bank
In Gaza, the Qassam Brigades announced the death of Izz al-Din al-Bayk, whom the group identified as a member of its military council and commander of its northern brigade.
In the West Bank, incidents were reported in Jalud, Al-Mughayyir and Beitunia involving attacks on property, confrontations and Israeli security deployments. Jerusalem authorities also said 1,462 people entered the Al-Aqsa compound during morning and evening periods under Israeli protection.
September 29 in summary
The day combined military escalation in southern Lebanon, a major security transition in Iraq, a historic political appointment in Morocco and continuing pressure-and-diplomacy dynamics around Iran.
At the same time, Washington and Moscow kept channels open over Ukraine, Europe deepened its engagement with Damascus, bond and energy markets reflected heightened geopolitical risk and the AI investment race reached a new scale.
Sources
Profile News
Reuters
Reuters — Anthropic
Al Jazeera — Iraq
Al Jazeera — Syria
U.S. Department of the Treasury
