Coverage of events across the Middle East region.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency says three Iranian military pilots were killed in recent US strikes, along with several other members of Iran’s armed and security forces.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned that any new Iranian attack on Israel would trigger a massive Israeli response targeting Iran’s military, civilian infrastructure and energy systems. Katz also said Israel is monitoring signs that economic pressure and internal instability could push Tehran toward an unusual military move.
At least 13 Yemeni government soldiers, including two officers, have been killed in heavy clashes with Iran-backed Houthi fighters along the Red Sea coast. The Houthis are reportedly attempting to advance toward government-held areas near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and cut the key Taiz-Mokha road.
The U.S. completed a new wave of strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard targets, including air defenses, radar systems and maritime assets. Iran claimed retaliatory attacks on U.S. positions in Jordan and Iraq, while Iranian authorities reported civilian casualties in southern Iran.
Saudi Arabia says Iran targeted its oil tanker Sidr while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, killing two Filipino sailors. The IRGC disputed the account, saying two tankers struck sea mines and caught fire, as Riyadh condemned Iranian attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The United States has launched fresh airstrikes against Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran claims to have retaliated with missile attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan. President Donald Trump has warned that any further Iranian retaliation would trigger a “harsh and broad” U.S. response.
At least three Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City as Israel said it had captured a senior Hamas leader during a ground operation. Hamas sources disputed the claim, saying an Israeli mission targeting a senior leader had failed.
Iran’s military claimed it targeted a site at the UAE’s Al Minhad Air Base where U.S. helicopters and personnel were allegedly stationed, but the UAE denied the claim. Abu Dhabi said its air defenses intercepted one drone that entered its airspace and urged the public to rely on official sources.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have agreed to name their trilateral defence alliance the Makkah Defence Alliance, with its secretariat to be based in Riyadh and its first secretary-general to be from Pakistan. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance would promote regional peace, security and stability and would remain open to other friendly states.
Iran has claimed it launched ballistic missiles and drone attacks on two U.S. air bases in Jordan in retaliation for the American strike on Larak Island, while Jordan says its air defenses intercepted eight missiles. Washington has described the Larak operation as a limited and precise strike aimed at preventing threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
An Israeli airstrike near a bakery in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, killed two Palestinians, including a three-year-old child, and wounded several others. Israel said the strike targeted a Hamas militant accused of planning attacks.
