Dubai, Oct 18 (AP) An airstrike has killed at least nine people in an area of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels as fighting escalates with Saudi-backed forces.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Israel condemned a settler attack on an American journalist that left her needing surgery, in some of the latest violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Read our full coverage here.
Airstrike kills at least 9 in rebel-held Yemen
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An airstrike killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in Yemen’s northern province of Saada, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said.
Spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said in a statement the strike hit a house in Sahar district and also wounded 19, including 11 children. Some were in critical condition, he said.
Al-Asbahi blamed Saudi Arabia for the strike. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi government.
The fighting has reignited Yemen’s civil war after four years of ceasefire.
Egypt agrees to provide defence support for Saudi Arabia
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Egypt’s National Defence Council, which decides on high-level military and security affairs, has agreed to support its close ally Saudi Arabia in the major escalation of fighting between the kingdom and the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the council decided to provide “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
It didn’t provide further details, but the council said it will also continue diplomatic efforts with regional and international parties to de-escalate the conflict.
El-Sissi said Saturday that his government will implement “any measure” to defend Saudi Arabia, and called for parliament to grant him the authorisation to deploy troops and military equipment abroad.
Parliament convened Sunday and will continue deliberations on Monday, according to the state-run MENA news agency.
Iran’s top diplomat says Tehran is reviewing US response
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Iran’s top diplomat says his country is reviewing Washington’s response to its latest proposal to end the eight-month war. US President Donald Trump publicly rejected it, but further indirect messaging has continued.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said the strait would reopen in a week if the US agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions.
Araghchi said if the US complies with those conditions, the strait would open on the sixth day and negotiations would begin on the seventh day.
Iran approves new defence minister, vows to defend itself
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Iran appointed Mehrdad Akhlaghi, a longtime official in the defence industry, as the new defence minister. His predecessor, Aziz Nasirzadeh, was killed on the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, along with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian military commanders.
During a confirmation hearing, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that Iran would not yield to pressure or demands from other countries. Akhlaghi vowed that any miscalculation from Israel or the US would prompt a “surprising and extensive” response.
(PTI News)
