Portugal probes US base use, Saudi smoke, and UK bomb plot bail

Portuguese prosecutors challenge legality of US use of Lajes Air Base during the Iran conflict.

Portugal probes US base use, Saudi smoke, and UK bomb plot bail — Portuguese prosecutors announced on Saturday they have opened an investigation into the legality of the center-right government's decision to authorize the United States' use of the Lajes Air Base in the Azores during the ongoing conflict with Iran.[^1] The move introduces a new legal dimension to the US-Iran confrontation, potentially constraining American military logistics in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, a large plume of smoke and fire was seen rising near an Aramco facility in Riyadh on Saturday, a witness told Reuters.[^2] The incident underscores the continued volatility of the Saudi-Houthi conflict, even as regional attention remains fixed on the Iran crisis. British counter-terrorism police investigating a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford released a dual UK-Iranian national on bail.[^3] The individual had been arrested on Thursday, and the development suggests the investigation remains active but has not yet yielded charges. In Australia, authorities this week approved the holding of two pro-Palestinian events on October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre.[^4] The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, described the initiatives as "offensive and indecent" but clarified that Supreme Court rulings on political freedom of speech make it difficult to shut down peaceful protests.[^5] The CEO of the Jewish community council in New South Wales, Michelle Goldman, compared the events to commemorations of Al-Qaeda on September 11 and called them a "bizarre anti-Israel obsession."[^5] Coalition fault lines and election maneuvering intensify three weeks out — Three weeks before election day, Benny Gantz released a video expressing sweeping confidence that his Blue and White party will pass the electoral threshold, despite polls predicting difficulty and showing over 5 mandates worth of voters who want to vote for the party but fear the threshold.[^1] The video is a gamble: Gantz is trying to reassure wavering voters that their ballots will not be wasted. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court approved the candidacies of MK Ofer Cassif, Ra'am, and the Joint List, while Sami Abu Shahada withdrew