War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claims that an oil facility in Sanaa targeted by Saudi airstrikes “is empty of petroleum derivatives and has no military value for targeting”, he writes on X, citing a source within the oil company.

In a separate statement, he further claims that Houthi forces are “confronting the Saudi enemy’s combat formations”.

The UK’s domestic spy chief warns that Iran is ramping up attempts to hit harder targets, such as military sites, in the United Kingdom, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Iran played a role in a recent incident at the RAF Fairford airbase, Al Jazeera reports.

In his annual speech on ranging threats to the UK, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum says that while he cannot speak about the Fairford incident because of an ongoing investigation, he says a major shift this year in “Iranian ambitions to come at harder targets, like military sites” has been observed.

“The RAF Fairford incident … is not unique. There have been other examples, not just in the UK but around the world,” he says.

Al-Jazeera correspondents on the ground in Sanaa have reported hearing explosions in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital.

Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV has reported an attack on the Yemen Oil Company in Sanaa, according to Reuters.

Yemen’s Houthis have warned they would target Riyadh’s airport, a refinery, and an Aramco facility in Dammam if the Saudi-led coalition follows through on its threat to strike an oil facility in Sanaa, AFP reports.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces urge all citizens to immediately evacuate and move away from targets that our forces will strike should the Saudi enemy target” a site in Sanaa, military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on X, identifying the three targets as Aramco’s headquarters in Dammam, as well as the airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh.

Qatar’s revenues have fallen by 42 per cent in the first half of 2026, its emir says, as gas infrastructure and exports took a severe hit during the Middle East war, according to AFP.

Qatar, the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after the US, lost a “significant proportion” of its exports, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani tells the annual session of the Shura Council advisory body in Doha.

“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, together with the direct damage inflicted on some energy facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, disrupted a significant portion of the country’s exports,” the emir outlines.

“It is only natural that the crisis would have a negative impact on public finances, as the total revenues declined by 42pc during the first half of the year,” he adds.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with “any kind” of support, as the kingdom faces intensified Houthi attacks, Anadolu reports.

“Whatever is being asked by the Saudis, of course we will respond,” Abdelatty tells Bloomberg Television when asked whether Egypt could provide military support to Saudi Arabia.

“Without any reservation, we provide all kinds of support,” he adds in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok.

Abdelatty also says Egypt is seriously considering joining the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance.

“The issue is under serious consideration by the Egyptian side,” he adds.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have renewed their warning to staff at Saudi oil facilities to stay away from them, “so as not to put their lives at risk”.

“This applies to facilities that have previously been targeted as well as others,” Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree says in a post on X.

The group has also renewed its warning to airliners operating in Saudi airspace and airports, as well as to passengers and staff at those locations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty have discussed regional developments, including the situation in Yemen, in a phone call on Tuesday, state-run IRNA reports.

The two top diplomats exchanged views on the latest regional developments and also discussed diplomatic initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions across the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call that Turkiye will continue to stand by Saudi Arabia amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Reuters reports citing the Turkish presidency.

In a statement, the presidency says Erdogan also condemns in the strongest terms the Houthi attacks and has told the crown prince that he believes “this challenge will be overcome”.

Yemen’s Houthis have warned Saudi Arabia against hitting Sanaa, shortly after the Saudi-led coalition issued an evacuation order ahead of an operation in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, AFP reports.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the Saudi enemy that any targeting of the capital, Sanaa, will be met with a tough and painful response in the enemy’s capital of Riyadh,” military spokesman Yahya Saree posts on X.

France’s embassy in Saudi Arabia has told its citizens to avoid airports in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam and advised against travelling to those cities following a series of Houthi attacks, AFP reports.

“Given the security situation, French nationals are strictly advised against travelling to or transiting through King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, and King Fahd Airport in Dammam,” the embassy says in a statement, adding, “It is also not advised to travel to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam unless necessary.”

The Saudi-led coalition has ordered the evacuation of civilians from a location in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, ahead of an operation there, AFP reports.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition requests civilians to evacuate the site of the Yemeni Oil Company/Al-Sabah Central Station in Sanaa, according to the illustrative map of the site, for their safety,” Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, writes on X, attaching a satellite image.

A senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the US made a “strategic miscalculation” during its war on Iran by assuming that the assassination of Tehran’s leadership, attacks on political and security structures, and attempts to create chaos would bring down the authorities, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

IRGC Deputy Commander for Political Affairs Brigadier General Yadollah Javani says the US failed because they did not consider the resilience of the Iranian people.

“The enemy imagined that with the martyrdom of the Leader of the Revolution, striking political and security structures, and creating chaos in the streets, it could tear the system apart, but this calculation did not match the reality of the Iranian society,” he adds.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has destroyed three drones north of the Saudi capital Riyadh, as hostilities with Yemen’s Houthi rebels persist, Reuters reports.

Yemeni government forces have carried out nine airstrikes targeting Houthi fighters and military equipment in the country’s southwestern Taiz province, as escalation continues to rage across the country, Anadolu reports citing the Yemeni military.

The Taiz Military Axis Media Centre says warplanes belonging to the Yemeni armed forces carried out five strikes in the Al-Dhabab area and four others in Al-Misrakh district, targeting Houthi personnel and military equipment.

It adds that clashes are also ongoing between government forces and Houthi fighters on the Al-Shaqab front south of Taiz.

The military has not provided details on casualties or damage.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Reuters reports citing the German government.

Berlin adds that Iran must engage in serious negotiations and stop destabilising the region.

Oil prices have fallen by two per cent a day after benchmark Brent hit an almost one-month high, as traders monitor attacks on Saudi Arabia and prospects for additional diesel supply from Russia, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are down $2.02, or 1.89pc, to $104.63 a barrel as of 1049 GMT (3:49pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.89, or 2.02pc, at $91.85 a barrel.

Hezbollah announced an aid program for Lebanese who lost their homes in the war with Israel, with benefits capped at $14,000 per household, despite US and Lebanese sanctions on the militant group, AFP reports.

The announcement also comes despite US sanctions on Iran, which backs Hezbollah with weapons and resources, and tighter controls by the Lebanese authorities on Hezbollah’s funding and supply routes, after the group emerged weakened from two wars with Israel since 2023.

At a press conference in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, Ali Daamouch, announced aid worth $14,000 per household for residents of Beirut and its southern suburbs, and $12,000 for other regions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country is pursuing diplomatic avenues with seriousness to safeguard Iran’s national interests and defend its rights and interests internationally, IRNA reports.

Araghchi also highlighted the need to maximise the potential of economic diplomacy to neutralise sanctions, as well as strengthen public and media diplomacy to explain Iran’s positions and perspectives.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson of the Iranian government, says that Iran will continue its international legal efforts to secure the rights of victims of the school attack in Minab until a final result is achieved, IRNA reports.

The Red Cross called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East, warning that further fighting would be disastrous for tens of millions of civilians, Reuters reports.

Yemen’s civil war — in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Houthis — reignited in July, months into the wider regional conflict that has roiled energy markets and plunged the Middle East into crisis.

“Civilians are paying an unacceptable price as a result of military operations in the Middle East,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Iran has temporarily suspended vehicle imports by hoteliers and Iranians living abroad as part of efforts to conserve foreign currency for essential goods and medicine, according to gov’t spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, Al Jazeera reports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rejected an Israeli push to join the military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi group, despite efforts to secure Riyadh’s approval through US mediation, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

The daily, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, said the crown prince was not interested in Israeli military assistance, fearing that cooperation with Israel could provoke a negative reaction among the Saudi public.

Another source familiar with the matter said Israel hoped military cooperation with Saudi Arabia would strengthen bilateral ties and pave the way for a future normalisation agreement.