Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye have activated the collective-defence mechanism of the Makkah Defence Alliance amid escalating fighting with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The three countries agreed to provide and rapidly deploy agreed military forces and defence capabilities to Saudi Arabia, while Pakistan and Türkiye are currently playing supporting roles rather than taking part in direct combat operations.
Russia says its air defenses shot down nearly 900 Ukrainian drones in a massive overnight assault, including hundreds targeting Moscow and its surrounding region. Two people were killed and nine injured, while a major fuel facility was reportedly hit and a bridge over the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia was also struck as both sides intensify long-range attacks.
The United States has moved all of its bomber aircraft from RAF Fairford in Britain back to their permanent bases in the U.S., a U.S. official confirmed. The move follows a security incident near the airbase that led to the arrest of six people on terrorism-related suspicions, although authorities have not publicly linked the aircraft withdrawal to the incident.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has launched the “Fajr al-Yemen” operation against Iran-backed Houthis, with government forces claiming control of Bab al-Mandab and Dhubab airfield and advancing toward Houthi-held Sanaa. Officials say thousands of Houthis have been detained, while 1,122 attacks have targeted Houthi positions. The reported casualties and circulating battlefield videos have not been independently verified.
All U.S. bombers have withdrawn from RAF Fairford in England and returned to their home bases in the United States following a suspected terror plot targeting the military installation, according to U.S. officials and media reports. British counterterrorism police have arrested six suspects, while investigators examine possible foreign-state involvement, including alleged links to Iran, which has denied responsibility.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has announced a major offensive to retake Houthi-controlled territories, as government forces claim to have killed at least 700 Houthi fighters in hundreds of operations. Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing to provide air support, while Houthi advances near Taiz and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait raise fears of a wider escalation.
Yemen’s armed forces aligned with the internationally recognized government say they have launched operations targeting Houthi positions in Sanaa and Saada. Houthi-affiliated media reported a strike in Sanaa and blamed Saudi Arabia, which has not confirmed the claim. The developments come amid renewed regional tensions linked to the Iran–US conflict.
The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group and more than 2,000 Marines to the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs further military action against Iran. The buildup comes amid stalled diplomacy and a reported projectile strike on a tanker near Oman, with the source of the projectile still unknown.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed Saudi Arabia carried out 26 airstrikes on Sanaa on Saturday, while AFP and Reuters reported smoke and flames near an oil facility in Riyadh. The developments came amid escalating airstrikes and ground clashes across Yemen.
