Houti Attack

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels overnight of trying to attack Islam's holiest city, prompting condemnation from countries in the region but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Mecca a "red line" as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war. With the world's biggest oil exporter under fire from the rebels backed by the Saudis' regional adversary, Tehran, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military support. However, a path to either one remains unclear. A crucial Saudi pipeline has reportedly been shut down for weeks as the Yemen-based Houthis have been attacking infrastructure in the kingdom as well as its shipping on the Red Sea. Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain above USD 100 a barrel. The Houthis denied firing drones toward Mecca, about 1,100 kilometres from Yemen's border. The Saudis said they intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the airspace

Riyadh says the drone was intercepted south of Mecca before entering restricted airspace, while the Houthis deny targeting the holy city as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies

Gulf states postponed talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz as the Houthis attacked a Saudi airbase and Tehran sanctioned 77 ships over alleged protocol violations

The conflict in Yemen intensified on Sunday, as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and Houthis fired into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government. The Yemeni government vowed to send more forces to the Red Sea coast and one official conceded a "painful" defeat last week when Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation -- especially Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and its shipping in the Red Sea -- adds pressure on global oil supplies and prices, and that could give Iran leverage in its war with the United States. As Yemen risks descending into another civil war, the United Nations estimated that more than 80,000 people in the impoverished country have been displaced by the fighting since the start of September. One woman said a mortar shell fell nearby as she fled in the middle of the night

A lightning advance by Houthi rebels threatens a crucial Red Sea shipping route. Drone attacks blamed on Iraqi militias have forced the closure of a major pipeline, and Iran is still disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. It's a nightmare scenario for Saudi Arabia, and it has sent jitters through global markets. The Saudis' most essential ally, the United States, has been unpredictable and sometimes unreliable. US President Donald Trump seems reluctant to widen an already unpopular and stalemated Mideast war ahead of congressional elections. For Iran, the rebels' advance and closure of the pipeline ramp up global economic pressure as its grip over the Strait of Hormuz has been loosened. Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the latest developments are "incredibly frustrating" for the kingdom. "Despite their antipathy for the Iranians, this is a war they had never asked for, they had great trepidation about. And once it started, all of their worst-case scenarios .

The Houthis said they struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as the US launched a fresh round of strikes on Iran, heightening concerns over global oil supplies and shipping routes

The arrival of a US amphibious assault group and the entry of Iran-backed Houthi forces heightened fears of escalation as the war entered its second month

Shipowners now have to pay about 1% of a ship's value if they want to pass through the Red Sea, said Marcus Baker, global head of marine cargo and logistics at Marsh McLennan

Liberian-flagged Merchant Vessel Eternity C had on board 22 crew members when it sank following damage it sustained in the Houthi attack

The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website further escalate his administration's new campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels

Yemen's Houthi rebels unilaterally freed 153 war detainees Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said, one of several overtures in recent days to ease tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Previous prisoner releases have been viewed as a means to jumpstart talks over permanently ending Yemen's decade-long war, which began when the Houthis seized the country's capital, Sanaa, in 2014. However, the Houthis' release comes just after they detained another seven Yemeni workers from the United Nations, sparking anger from the world body. Those released previously had been visited by Red Cross staff in Sanaa and received medical checks and other assistance, the organization said while announcing the release. The Houthis had signalled on Friday night they planned a release of prisoners. The Red Cross said it welcomes this unilateral release as another positive step towards reviving negotiations". This operation has brought much-needed rel

The US military on Tuesday said it bombed a Houthi military facility in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, the latest US-led attack on the Iranian-backed rebels. The Houthi media office said the strike hit part of the sprawling complex that houses the rebels' Defence Ministry. There were no immediate reports of casualties. US Central Command said the strike late Monday targeted a key command and control facility that was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, including attacks on US Navy and merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza started in October last year. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign, which has killed four sailors. The rebels have maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels saw multiple explosions strike near a vessel travelling through the Red Sea on Tuesday, though no damage was immediately reported by the ship, authorities said. The attack comes as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel's ground offensive in Lebanon. The Houthis have insisted that the attacks will continue as long as the wars go on, and the assaults already have halved shipping through the region. A vessel in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, reported the attack, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added. The Houthis didn't immediately claim the attack. Howeve

The Israel Defence Forces confirmed intercepting a UAV several kilometres off the coast of Tel Aviv

A missile fired by Yemen's Iran-backed rebels landed in an open area in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, in the latest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it would respond militarily. There were no reports of casualties or major damage, but Israeli media aired footage showing people racing to shelters in Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport authority said it resumed normal operations shortly thereafter. A fire could be seen in a rural area of central Israel, and local media showed images of what appeared to be a fragment from an interceptor that landed on an escalator in a train station in the central town of Modiin. The Israeli military said it made several attempts to intercept the missile using its multitiered air defences but had not yet determined whether any had been successful. It said the missile appeared to have fragmented midair, and that the incident is still under review.

A new attempt has begun to try to salvage an oil tanker burning in the Red Sea after attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, a European Union naval mission said Saturday. The EU's Operation Aspides published images dated Saturday of its vessels escorting ships heading to the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion. The mission has been actively involved in this complex endeavour, by creating a secure environment, which is necessary for the tugboats to conduct the towing operation, the EU said. A phone number for the mission rang unanswered Saturday. The Sounion came under attack from the Houthis beginning August 21. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who were taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti. The Houthis later planted explosives aboard the ship and detonated them. That's led to fears the ship's 1 million barrels of crude oil could spill into the Red Sea. The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels wi

The United Nations is cutting back its activities in Yemen in response to a crackdown by Houthi rebels on staff working for the UN and other humanitarian, human rights, development and education organisations, the top UN aid official said Thursday. Acting UN humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council that the United Nations has taken steps to minimise the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled areas. The UN has narrowed its focus to essential lifesaving and life-sustaining activities, she said, and is deprioritising broader activities to develop the Arab world's poorest nation. In June, the Houthis detained more than 60 people working with the UN and other organisations, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Days later, the Houthis said they had arrested members of what they called an American-Israeli spy network. The Houthis' claims could not be independently verified. Msuya said the UN strongly rejects false allegations by the Houthis against ...

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed early Sunday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country, marking potentially the latest downing of the multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft. The US responded with airstrikes over Houthi-controlled territory, the rebels said. The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Houthi claim. The rebels offered no pictures or video to support the claim as they have in the past, though such material can appear in propaganda footage days later. However, the Houthis have repeatedly downed General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones in the years since they seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Those attacks have exponentially increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the Houthis launched their campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree made the claim in a prerecorded video message. He said the Houthis shot down the drone over Yemen's .