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Turkish police detained Mersin mayor Vahap Seçer and 58 other people, including the mayors of Yenişehir and Mezitli, in an investigation involving allegations of corruption, fraud and manipulation of public tenders. The detained municipal officials are affiliated with the opposition. Opposition representatives characterized the operation as politically motivated, while the government maintains that the judiciary operates independently. The arrests form part of a broader series of judicial proceedings involving opposition-controlled municipalities since the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March 2025.

Opposition leader Özgür Özel and lawmakers from his party left the Turkish parliament chamber as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began his opening address for the new legislative session. The opposition said the walkout protested judicial and administrative measures targeting opposition-run municipalities and party figures. Erdoğan subsequently used his address to advocate a new civilian constitution and discuss the process centered on the dissolution and disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, presenting it as part of a broader political transformation.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not avoid talks with the United States as Tehran considered Washington’s response to its latest proposal for reviving a ceasefire arrangement. Pezeshkian said Iran had not previously avoided negotiations and would not do so now, while criticizing previous US military actions against his country. His remarks came amid indirect diplomatic contacts concerning a proposal linking cessation of hostilities and sanctions-related measures with reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations.

Lebanon was informed by the US mediator that an eighth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations was being prepared for October 20 in Florida, although the date remained subject to final confirmation. The planned talks would take place at the military level under US sponsorship. According to a source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat, Lebanon intends to raise ceasefire implementation, Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, expansion of the Lebanese Army’s deployment and arrangements for areas from which Israeli forces could withdraw.

Libya’s Anti-Illegal Migration Authority in eastern Tripoli announced the deportation of 14 Egyptian migrants from a detention center through Mitiga International Airport. The authority said the deportation took place Thursday morning after completion of the required administrative procedures and described it as part of continuing efforts to implement deportation plans under applicable laws and regulations. The operation was coordinated with relevant authorities as part of measures aimed at addressing irregular migration and enforcing Libyan immigration rules.

Libya’s National Council for Civil Liberties and Human Rights conducted a field visit to a migrant accommodation center in Bir al-Ghanam, southwest of Tripoli. Officials reported that the facility held more than 360 irregular migrants from multiple countries, many of whom had been rescued or intercepted at sea. The visiting team examined living and health conditions, available services and procedures for coordinating with diplomatic missions regarding returns or deportations, while stressing compliance with national and international human-rights standards.

A Libyan movement opposing what it calls the settlement of migrants announced plans for a Friday demonstration in Martyrs’ Square in Tripoli demanding the immediate deportation of migrants who entered Libya irregularly. The movement explicitly rejected violence and disavowed statements or threats targeting migrants that were circulating on social media. It said its campaign seeks deportations through state institutions and legal procedures, while several affiliated movements in Tripoli, Misrata and Tajoura jointly reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful action.

Yemen’s UN mission said it had documented Houthi use of Iranian-origin air-defense weapons launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Hodeidah toward international air routes over the southern Red Sea. According to the government, the systems were modified inside Yemen with participation from Iranian Revolutionary Guard experts and could threaten civilian, UN and humanitarian flights. Yemen asked UN member states to enforce the arms embargo and called for coordination with ICAO to assess risks to international aviation.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba called for international action against what she described as an emerging Houthi-led network extending into the Horn of Africa. Citing UN expert reporting, she said cooperation between the Houthis and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab went beyond weapons smuggling to include operational coordination, drone-related training and exchanges of expertise. She also cited alleged intercepted communications involving the Houthis, Al-Shabaab and Islamic State, framing the relationships as a growing regional security and maritime threat.

Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of at least 100 children recruited by the Houthis during fighting in September. The ministry said recruitment involved abduction and inducement across several provinces, followed by transfers to mobilization camps and combat fronts. It warned families in Houthi-controlled areas against recruitment through cultural courses, summer centers and mobilization programs, while acknowledging that the documented toll may be lower than the actual number of affected children.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi set June 30, 2027, as the deadline for resolving the issue of weapons held by Iran-aligned armed groups outside state control. He described October 1, 2026, as the start of a serious process based on an agreed roadmap and timetable. The initiative invokes the constitutional principle that decisions of war and peace belong to constitutional authorities and follows the end of the U.S.-led international coalition’s mission in Iraq.

On Wednesday morning, September 30, during Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain in the cockpit with an emergency axe and tried to take control of the aircraft. Passengers and crew restrained him, while two reserve pilots regained control and landed safely. On October 3, the UAE prosecutor general said investigators considered the act an attempted terrorist operation; the investigation into the motive and related links was still ongoing.