Coverage of events across the Middle East region.
Iran-backed Houthis claim that 83 people were killed and around 50 injured in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes across Yemen over the past 24 hours, while Saudi authorities say they are reviewing reports of civilian casualties.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has urged national unity against what he described as a renewed Iranian nuclear threat, warning that Israel’s mission against Tehran is not over, as opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot receives a mandate to form a new government following Netanyahu’s electoral setback.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claim four missile and drone operations targeting Riyadh, including the King Abdullah Financial District. An Aramco office tower sustained damage, while Saudi Arabia says no casualties were reported and its air defences intercepted several incoming missiles.
Houthi-run media reports that Saudi airstrikes near Yemen’s Sanaa have killed at least 33 people and wounded 39 others, mostly women and children. Saudi Arabia says it is investigating the reports.
Iran has executed Baluch man Mohammad Aref Shahbakhsh, accused of involvement in a 2024 attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchestan and membership in the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl. Human rights organisations have raised concerns over his detention and the transparency of his trial.
Yemeni officials claim that around 3,000 Syrian troops could join the Saudi-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthis, with the number potentially rising to more than 10,000. However, Damascus has denied deploying combat forces to Yemen, while Reuters has independently reported a limited Syrian military advisory and training presence in Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s Mohsen Rezaei has warned that any renewed US military action against Iran would trigger a “devastating response,” while mocking the Trump administration over Republican losses in the US midterm elections and reported uncertainty surrounding senior officials.
Türkiye’s parliament has ratified the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia by 279 votes to 119, formalising a trilateral pact under which an armed attack against one member would be treated as an attack against all three. The agreement provides for military coordination, intelligence sharing and mutual defence assistance, while any deployment of Turkish troops to Saudi Arabia would require separate parliamentary approval.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed at least 30 people and wounded eight others at a crowded market in Yemen's Taiz province. Yemeni government-aligned authorities have disputed the Houthis' account, while the Associated Press says it could not independently verify responsibility for the attack.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile allegedly launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis towards the Madinah region, while the group has denied targeting the holy city, insisting its attacks are limited to Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a ballistic missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has delivered four truckloads of medical supplies to hospitals in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz for the first time since September 23.
The death toll from the October 10 Houthi missile attack on Riyadh International Airport has risen to 14 after another Indian national died from his injuries in a hospital, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday.
