War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling have occurred across southern Lebanon, while Israeli forces have advanced toward the outskirts of Habbariyeh in the Al-Arqoub area, Anadolu reports citing Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

Israeli warplanes have struck the town of Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district, while artillery fire has targeted Mansouri and the Bayut al-Sayyad farm south of Tyre, NNA says. Israeli artillery has also shelled Wadi Zibqin and, overnight, the area between Beit Yahoun and Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district.

In Habbariyeh, Israeli artillery fired six consecutive shells at the outskirts of the town as a military force advanced toward the area, according to NNA.

The force, comprising around 20 soldiers and four tanks, has moved toward the Nabaa al-Khoukh area on the outskirts of Habbariyeh in the Hasbaya district, opening machine-gun fire while carrying out searches.

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has addressed the impact of US sanctions and a naval blockade to choke Iran’s economy, Al Jazeera reports.

“Iran will suffer from a prolonged blockade. Families will pay a price, investment will be damaged, and sustaining some sectors of the economy will become more difficult,” Rezaei tells DropSite News in an interview. “But economic pain and strategic collapse are not the same thing.”

Tehran’s security chief adds that Washington “has repeatedly made the mistake of believing that if it makes life sufficiently difficult for people inside Iran, the Iranian political system will consequently accept Washington’s strategic demands. These are two different calculations”.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for the inclusion of Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the European Union’s list of “terrorist” groups, according to Al Jazeera.

The parliament has urged the EU Council to designate the Houthis’ military and political wings, its leadership and its military and security apparatus as “terrorist”, describing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as “flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law”.

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, reiterates that the country has not deployed all of its military capabilities and stresses that the war must end on terms that prevent another illegal aggression, according to state broadcaster Press TV.

In an interview with US-based investigative outlet DropSite News, he says that Tehran has new military capabilities to respond to new acts of aggression.

“We did not deploy all our capabilities in the previous stages. We brought more capabilities into operation in proportion to the intensity of the war, and we are also prepared for the next stage,” he adds.

Rezaei also notes that Iran has spent decades preparing for war with the US by focusing on dispersed production, underground facilities, different launch systems and the ability to repair damage and replace losses.

“Our goal is not to make it to 2029. Our goal is to end the war on terms that reduce the likelihood of another war,” he states.

Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel has voiced strong scepticism about the US war on Iran, saying Washington should never have launched the conflict, Anadolu reports citing Politico.

“I’m sceptical of [the war], I think we should not have done it,” Thiel has said at a private event on Oct 12, according to audio obtained by Politico. “There were a lot of mistakes that were made.”

Thiel, a major Republican donor and longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, also questioned whether the US had the means to sustain its position in the conflict.

“Maybe we don’t have the hard power. Maybe we’re going to lose the soft power war,” he says.

In the lecture, part of a series held in Nashville, Thiel has also reportedly expressed opposition to neoconservative foreign policy and US military intervention in the Middle East. His comments reportedly suggest concern that the war could have consequences beyond the battlefield, particularly for Washington’s international standing.

At least 1,574 people have been killed and 6,939 others injured in Yemen since the latest military escalation began in August, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In a report seen by Anadolu, the UN health agency says it has recorded 8,513 casualties since the beginning of August, including 1,574 deaths and 6,939 injuries as of Oct 19, without specifying whether the casualties are civilians, military personnel, or both.

The agency adds that 292 people were killed and 1,048 others injured during the latest eight-day reporting period.

Essential staff at the headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco in the country’s east have been told to evacuate, two sources briefed on the matter tell AFP, after their non-essential colleagues were told to work from home since last week.

Most staff had already been working remotely since Yemen’s Houthis hit the Dhahran facility last week, three sources say, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, with only essential staff on site.

Those essential employees have now also been told to work from home until further notice, two of the sources add.

Yemen’s Houthis said they had launched attacks on Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry in Riyadh, Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where Saudi authorities said two people were killed, Reuters reports.

There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of attacks in Riyadh and Yanbu.

Brent prices have risen to their highest since May after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoke concerns over an escalation of the Middle East conflict and further disruptions to crude oil supplies from the world’s key exporting region, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures have climbed $3.06, or 2.81 per cent, to $111.88 a barrel as of 1104 GMT (4:04pm PKT). They hit $112.55 a barrel earlier in the session, the highest since May 18.

US West Texas Intermediate crude has gained $2.04, or 2.1pc, to $99.19, after hitting $100.07 a barrel earlier.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted and destroyed four drones in the kingdom’s Riyadh and Madina regions.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty says all options must be explored to find a political solution between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, AFP reports.

At a press conference where he reiterates solidarity with Saudi Arabia, he stresses “the necessity of exploring all avenues for reaching political solutions”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host meetings of the top diplomats of the R4 mechanism — Turkiye, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — and Europe’s E3 mechanism — UK, Germany, and France — including an unprecedented combined format in Istanbul on Friday, Anadolu reports.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will attend, according to Turkish foreign ministry sources.

The meetings are set to address regional issues, such as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and developments related to Yemen, among others.

Read more here.

Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, warns that any action against Iran comes at a cost, IRNA reports.

“If diplomacy can create this understanding, we prefer diplomacy; but if the war continues, Iran has the necessary means to sustain its response,” he said.

Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, says that the negotiations with the United States have been halted, and if a war breaks out, undersea internet cables, data centres, and AI facilities could be among Iran’s targets, IRNA reports.

Saudi Aramco has instructed staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely, Reuters reports, citing six anonymous sources “with knowledge of the matter”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to strike American bases across the Middle East if the US military continues to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the Guards have said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

“This is a serious warning,” they add.

The Greek finance ministry says it is implementing sanctions in place linked to Iran and that it backs efforts to effectively combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, Reuters reports.

The statement comes after the US Treasury Department said that the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank, which it did not name.

An Indian national was among the two killed in the attack on Dammam airport, Indian embassy in Riyadh says on X.

Two Indian nationals have been injured as well, it adds.

“We are ascertaining further details and contacting the affected families,” the embassy says.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the deceased and we wish speedy recovery of the injured.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had targeted four ships in the northern part of the Arabian Gulf that it said were transferring oil cargoes from one vessel to another, Reuters reports.

The IRGC’s naval forces said in a statement that “fires were still burning on the targeted ships.”

It added that the four vessels had been spotted transferring oil between ships and were targeted simultaneously for sailing along “unauthorised routes.”

Oil prices rallied over $2 a barrel after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns over a broader escalation of conflict and further disruptions to crude supplies from the world’s key exporting region, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures climbed$2.82, or 2.59 per cent, to $111.64 a barrel at 0626 GMT, close to a five-month high. US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $2.24, or 2.31pc, to $99.39.

“Oil prices remain well bid, with ICE Brent back above $110 per barrel this morning following additional deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia,” ING analysts said in a note on Thursday.

The death toll from Wednesday’s attack on Saudi Arabia’s Dammam has risen to two, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority, Reuters reports.

The US and Israeli militaries have developed plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the US midterm elections, with preparations advancing for a potential short but intensive campaign, The New York Times reports.

Citing US officials and other people briefed on the deliberations, the newspaper reported that the two militaries have stepped up exercises, including flights over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers.

Potential targets could include Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile and drone arsenal, and energy infrastructure, according to the report.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss possible new strikes, the newspaper reported.