Strikes by Yemen‘s Houthis on Sunday killed at least 11 people, a medical source in the Yemeni port city of Mokha has told AFP, after an earlier drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast.
A years-long truce in Yemen‘s civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government appeared to collapse last month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Saudi Arabia‘s strongest condemnation of the targeting of a UAE tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. âThese unacceptable attacks constitute an assault on the security and safety of maritime navigation and global energy supplies,â the ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia affirmed that Iran‘s continued perpetration of these attacks is a grave violation of international laws and norms, including Security Council Resolution 2817, which guarantees freedom of navigation and safe passage in international waterways.
Iraqâs Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has discussed efforts to enhance regional security cooperation with Saudi Arabiaâs general intelligence chief, Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan, according to the Iraqi PMâs office.
Al-Zaidi reiterated Iraqâs commitment to strengthening cooperation with Saudi Arabia and stressed Baghdadâs position that Iraq would not be used as a âlaunching padâ for activities harming any foreign state, his office statement said.
(August 3, 2026)
Iraq is facing a fresh wave of regional pressure after Saudi Arabia struck sites inside the country and several neighboring states, including Kuwait, Jordan and Syria, warned Baghdad that any attack launched from Iraqi soil against their territory would be met with direct military retaliation against armed factions inside the country.
A senior Saudi official, speaking anonymously to Reuters late on Thursday, said intelligence gathered by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other countries in the region indicated that civilian and economic sites could be targeted.
The potential targets include energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
Saudi Arabia had detected the movement of drones and missiles, according to the official, suggesting preparations for attacks from Iraq to the north and Yemen to the south.
âThe agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggressionâ and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries âwould be regarded as an attack on allâ, according to a joint statement cited by Reuters.
The pact brings together NATO member Turkiye, which has the allianceâs second-largest military, nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, one of the Gulfâs most powerful states and the worldâs leading oil exporters.
The sources added that the casualty numbers were expected to rise.
Fighting in Yemen between the pro-Iranian Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has intensified in recent weeks, after four years of relative calm.
(July 31, 2026)
The battle to restore the State institutions and eliminate the militias‘ coup isn‘t just the army‘s battle, but it is everybody‘s fight, al-Alimi stressed.
The President emphasized that the current stage requires political parties to reclaim their natural role as forces of enlightenment, mobilization and rallying against threats, to restore respect for the idea of the national state and to reinforce the isolation of militias and their destructive agenda.
The political parties need to make the battle to restore the State institutions a matter for the whole society, not only a government‘s task or issue, al-Alimi noted.
He also emphasized the need to make every possible effort to achieve de-escalation, paving the way for diplomatic solutions that would deliver positive outcomes, preserve the region‘s security and stability, and prevent the situation from escalating into a broader conflict with repercussions for regional and international security and stability.
Trump added that the emerging deal „would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran‘s nuclear threat.“
„Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,“ Trump said.
Military spokesperson says maritime blockade has forced Saudi tankers to avoid Red Sea route
Fourteen countries have backed a Saudi proposal to establish a multinational âMaritime Defense Alliance,â aimed at protecting international shipping routes and global trade, Saudi Arabiaâs Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday.
The countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
The ministry said military chiefs and other representatives from 43 countries attended a meeting on the initiative, either in person or by video link. A European Union delegation also took part.
While the new blockade has disrupted shipping in the region, Ansar Allah hasnât announced a blanket ban on shipping through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Some Chinese ships loaded with Saudi crude have also been able to pass through the strait, and Reuters reported that Beijing had cleared each passage with Sanaa.
But as the US-Iran war and conflict across the region are escalating again, the chances of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait being completely closed are rising. The Al-Monitor report, which cited two diplomatic sources and an unnamed US official, said that Riyadh has invited around 50 nations to join the Red Sea coalition, but that US support was seen as vital for the initiative to take off, and it was unclear at this point if Washington would participate.
Der Bundestag hat am Donnerstag, 16. Oktober 2025, den Bundeswehreinsatz im Roten Meer um ein Jahr verlĂ€ngert. Dazu lag ein Antrag der Bundesregierung fĂŒr die fortgesetzte Beteiligung der Bundeswehr an der EU-gefĂŒhrten Operation Eunavfor Aspides zur Abwehr von Angriffen der Huthi-Milizen auf die Schifffahrt im Roten Meer vor (21/1372(Dokument, öffnet ein neues Fenster)). In namentlicher Abstimmung wurde der Antrag auf Empfehlung des AuswĂ€rtigen Ausschusses mit 435 Ja-Stimmen bei 69 Gegenstimmen und 77 Enthaltungen angenommen.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi on Wednesday canceled his planned visit to Saudi Arabia, a government source told Shafaq News, hours after deadly US-Saudi airstrikes targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) across seven Iraqi provinces.
A senior official in Yemen‘s Houthi movement said on Wednesday that the group, and not Iraq‘s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), carried out earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia, accusing Riyadh of blaming Iraqi factions for operations they did not conduct.
Abdullah Al-Numi, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement (Ansarallah) told Shafaq News that the PMF had repeatedly denied attacking Saudi Arabia, while his movement had openly claimed responsibility for earlier operations against Saudi ports and facilities, including sites in Yanbu and Jizan.
2026-07-29 12:22
Ten Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) members were killed and six wounded in airstrikes on two facilities in Bartella, east of Mosul, part of the PMFâs preliminary nationwide toll of 20 dead and 32 injured.
The command stated that the strikes targeted the Fourth Regiment headquarters of the PMFâs 30th Brigade and its Anti-Armor Directorate.
(July 29, 2026 | 03:43 AM)
Saudi Arabia‘s armed forces, in coordination with the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), carried out precision strikes on Wednesday against Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq linked to recent drone attacks on the Kingdom‘s oil facilities, the Ministry of Defense announced.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said the operation followed attempted drone attacks on oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh region on Monday and Tuesday, which Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed. He said those attacks originated from Iraqi territory and were carried out by Iran-backed terrorist militias.
The Iraqi Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, directed, on Monday, the competent security authorities to investigate the statement issued by the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the targeting of the Kingdom with drones launched from Iraqi territory.
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that its coalition forces struck Houthi militia in Yemen after the Iran-backed group claimed to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier in the week.
Air defenses in Saudi Arabia reportedly intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen.
The latest salvos appeared to indicate an escalation in fighting in a second front in the Iran war.
„I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,“ Mr. Trump told Axios, adding that he believed Iran‘s leaders „want to negotiate,“ but aren‘t yet ready to make a deal.
„They haven‘t received enough pain yet,“ he told the outlet.
U.S. forces carried out a 12th consecutive night of strikes across Iran on Wednesday, and Mr. Trump warned in a social media post Thursday that the Islamic Republic and its Houthi allies would both face „major military punishment“ if the Yemeni rebels repeat their attacks from earlier this week on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
(10 hours ago)
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said its armed forces targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, claiming the vessels had violated a ban imposed by the group.
Saudi Arabia‘s state media later confirmed that one of its vessels was struck and the bow of the ship caught fire, with a source adding that all crew members onboard Encelia were safe.
„The joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Teheran and Israel‘s crushing of Iran‘s terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace,“ Netanyahu said in the statement from his office on Thursday.
„There will be no enrichment of material!,“ Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that the deal „will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.“
The accords, first signed in 2020, have so far normalized economic and diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Kazakhstan agreed to join in November.
(August 6, 2023)
In Israel, there‘s concern that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, might delay and consider pushing the U.S. agreement until after the 2024 presidential elections.
Israel has sent signals to Saudi Arabia emphasizing the advantages of forging ahead under the current Democratic regime. If a future Republican government, possibly under the leadership of former President Donald Trump, were to take over, bridging bipartisan support for the deal might become an uphill battle.
(…)
Beyond a defense pact, the Saudis also have raised requests with the US for civilian nuclear capabilities, advanced weaponry, and beyond. Israeli agreement would be crucial for these components.
(May 23, 2023)
Amid reports that the US is mediating a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Channel 12 reports on apparent Saudi and US demands for the deal to go ahead.
The report says that Saudi Arabia is demanding the Biden administration unfreeze several major arms deals, a military alliance with the US and a full nuclear program.
The two agreements also advance U.S. and regional security by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation and strengthening the United States‘ competitive edge in civil nuclear technology.
(…)
Under President Trump‘s leadership, America is restoring its competitive edge in the global civil nuclear marketplace. This agreement builds on President Trump‘s Executive Order, Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, and specifically Section 8 on Promoting American Nuclear Exports, which supports an expansion of international partners for U.S. civil nuclear cooperation under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
(September 18, 2003)
UN officials said there have been rumours going back 20 years that the Saudis wanted to pay Pakistan to do the research and development on nuclear weapons.
In 1988, Saudi bought from China intermediate-range missiles capable of reaching any part of the Middle East with a nuclear warhead.
Four years ago, Saudi Arabia sent a defence team to Pakistan to tour its secret nuclear facilities and to be briefed by Abdul Qader Khan, the father of Pakistan‘s nuclear bomb.
The agreement does not include the „Gold Standard“ that would block the kingdom from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear âfuel, both of which are potential pathways to nuclear weapons, said the sources familiar with the agreement.
The agreement also does not â include â the „Additional Protocol“ which grants the U.N.‘s â International Atomic Energy Agency âbroad and more intrusive oversight of a country‘s nuclear activities, such as the power to carry out snap inspections at âundeclared locations, said the sources, who â spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
President Trump on Tuesday suggested he could restart a bombing campaign in Yemen in response to the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, enforcing a blockade on the Red Sea.
Trumpâs comments came after Ansar Allah announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, which came a week after the Saudis bombed Yemenâs Sanaa airport to prevent the landing of a plane carrying a Yemeni delegation from Iran to enforce its long-standing blockade on the country that was eased under a 2022 ceasefire deal but never fully lifted.
Trump spoke to Saudi Crown Prince on Friday in what many believe was to get Trumpâs approval for what MBS was planning to do as far as the Houthis in Yemen were concerned.