Al Jazeera

By Faisal Aziz Khan, Adam Hancock, Fiona Kelliher, Barbara Angopa, Heba Habib, Mahmoud Sayed, Marthe van der Wolf, Leena Fraihat and Kristina Harazim

    The Houthis say they have seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, adding that Saudi jets launched 54 air strikes in the last 24 hours.

    Yemen’s Houthis added that they launched a large-scale ballistic missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and claimed “direct hits”. There was no immediate response from Riyadh.

    Iran says a planned meeting with Gulf states regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed by Saudi Arabia over the recent events in Yemen.

    Ground fighting intensifies on several fronts in Yemen as Saudi-backed government forces carry out air strikes on Houthi positions in an attempt to retake Mocha, days after the Houthis captured the strategic port city.

Here’s what happened today

    Yemen’s Houthis say they have seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, adding that Saudi jets launched 54 air strikes over the past 24 hours.

    The Houthis also say they launched a large-scale ballistic missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, reporting “direct hits”. There was no immediate response from Riyadh.

    Yemeni government forces say they struck Houthi equipment and fighters in the Dhubab and al-Khokha areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait along the Red Sea coast.

    Iran says a planned meeting with Gulf states regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed by Saudi Arabia due to the recent events in Yemen.

    A supertanker has caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to pass through a restricted zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says.

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says his department will continue to “target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise”.

    A staff member with Doctors Without Borders was wounded by an Israeli air strike that hit a vehicle 2 metres (7 feet) away from one of its buses in Gaza City on Sunday, the medical charity says.

Houthi missile and drone attacks injure 13 civilians in Saudi Arabia

    The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says 13 civilians were injured on Monday following a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched by Houthi forces into Saudi Arabia.

    According to Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure across the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif. The attacks caused minor to moderate injuries and damaged seven homes and two vehicles.

    “The continuation of these deliberate and repeated attacks proves the Terrorist Houthi Militia’s approach and extremist ideology of escalation and targeting civilian objects and civilians,” al-Maliki said in a statement posted on X.

    “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom, civilian objects, and civilians from these heinous attacks”, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter’s principle of self-defence, he added.

US unlikely to intervene directly in Houthi-Saudi war

    The United States is unlikely to have any direct involvement in the war in Yemen in the short term, American University professor and former senior US diplomat William Lawrence told Al Jazeera.

    However, Lawrence said the fighting “doesn’t necessarily get us to peace faster”.

    “In fact, it probably slows things down,” he said.

    Lawrence asserted that America’s role in the conflict is to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence, surveillance, decision-making and weapons training.

    The support role is similar to Iran backing the Houthis, he said but is unlikely to involve direct military engagement for “probably good reasons in that it’s escalatory for the Americans to go in and also could prolong the conflict, not shorten it”.

    While Houthi fighters have captured Yemeni territory close to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping waterway, the group faces several issues, he said.

    “One is their supply lines. They’re not getting food and water and bullets to the frontline, and they’re not even really able to hold the front end of the territory they’ve just taken,” he said.

    “This is the domestic Yemen part of this conflict [in] which the Houthis want to grab all of Yemen’s territory as soon as they can and get reparations from Saudi Arabia, which is a non-starter for Saudi Arabia.”

MSF says staff member wounded in Israeli strike in Gaza City

    A staff member with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, was wounded by an Israeli air strike that hit a vehicle just two metres (7 feet) away from one of its buses in Gaza City on Sunday, the medical charity says.

    The bus was carrying 10 humanitarian workers at the time of the attack on Sunday. The vehicle was clearly identified as belonging to the charity, with a large MSF logo on its roof, the group said in a statement posted on X.

    “Once again, Israeli forces have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of humanitarian and medical personnel,” MSF said.

    “Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Civilians, healthcare workers and humanitarian staff must be protected. Clearly marked medical and humanitarian vehicles must be spared from attacks.”

One person killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon

    One person has been shot and killed by Israeli forces during an attack on the town of Baraachit in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh province, Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.

What does the pipeline closure in Saudi Arabia mean for the troubled global oil market

By Hanna Duggal and Marium Ali

    In another blow to global oil markets, drones struck Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline last Thursday, prompting the kingdom to suspend operations.

    The 1,200km (746-mile) pipeline, which carries four to five million barrels of oil per day for export, links the country’s major oil-producing fields in the east with the Red Sea port of Yanbu. That allows Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been closed since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February.

With oil and gas flows through Hormuz severely disrupted, the kingdom has relied more heavily on the East-West pipeline. What does its closure mean for the already troubled global oil market

Iran security chief dismisses US signals on talks, says conditions must be met

    Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has dismissed what he called “mixed” signals from US President Donald Trump, saying there can be no talks until Tehran’s conditions are met.

    “Don’t get distracted by the U.S. president’s mixed signals—from ‘no negotiations’ to ‘we’re ready to talk,'” he wrote on X. “The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming. No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!”

US sanctions unlikely to change Iran’s negotiating position

    US sanctions on Iran are unlikely to change Tehran’s negotiating position, says Shaho Sabbar, international relations professor at the University of Tehran.

    “The sanctions have targeted national actors, and what sanctions normally do is target the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. This is not new,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the US was trying new approaches but is unlikely to succeed.

    “Certainly, the US government is trying to be more creative and to devise new types of sanctions imposed on Iran, but I do not see these sanctions leading Iran to accept American demands,” he said.

    “Yes, the pressure exists, and a large number of people are suffering because of it. But at the same time, I do not believe this pressure will make a difference to Iran’s negotiating position.

    “I personally do not believe absolute victory is possible or realistic for either side. I think that if we are to find a way out of this destructive war, each side needs to think about what it needs and expects, while at the same time offering the other side a viable way out.”

Saudi authorities lift emergency alert for Khamis Mushait and Abha

    Saudi state TV is reporting that the emergency alert issued for Khamis Mushait and Abha in the country’s southwest has been lifted minutes after it was issued.

Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sending signal to Islamic world with Mecca pact: Erdogan

    Turkish President Erdogan says Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye have taken a step to send a signal to the Islamic world through the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and that positive developments are now underway, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Erdogan said Turkiye was “throwing its weight behind the region” to help the Islamic world overcome its challenges as soon as possible, adding that the issue “cannot be taken lightly”.

Qatar affirms support for diplomacy to achieve freedom of navigation in calls with UAE, Turkiye officials

    Qatar’s Foreign Minister has affirmed the country’s support for diplomatic efforts to guarantee freedom of maritime navigation in the region in phone calls with his Emirati and Turkish counterparts.

    He reiterated Qatar’s support for “all diplomatic efforts and endeavors aimed at a solution that guarantees freedom of maritime navigation and paves the way for a comprehensive agreement to achieve sustainable peace in the region”, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bessent says US will continue targeting ‘Iran’s enablers’

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says his department will continue to “target and disrupt those who provide material, technological, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to sustain its terrorist enterprise”.

    In a social media post, Bessent said “the Treasury will not tolerate any support to the regime and will continue to identify, expose and isolate Iran’s enablers”.

    Earlier on Monday, the US Treasury announced sanctions against Russia’s VTB Bank, a large state-owned financial institution operating in Iran, accusing it of aiding sanctions evasion.

    Bessent announced an economic pressure campaign against Iran last month, vowing to target Tehran’s financial interests worldwide.

Share Bessent says US will continue targeting ‘Iran’s enablers’ on social media

    Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Tawakul reports from a camp where displaced Yemenis are registering for refugee status.

If you’re just joining us

    Here’s a look at the latest developments:

    A supertanker has caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to pass through a restricted zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says.

    US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the IRGC’s claim that its navy struck the tanker El Gaia with naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz is false.

    Israeli jets have struck the towns of Hanin and Qantara in southern Lebanon.

    The Israeli army has expanded its incursion in the southern Syrian governorates of Rif Dimashq, Quneitra and Deraa.

    Yemen’s armed forces say they have recovered sites in the Taiz governorate that were captured by the Houthis.

    The US Treasury Department has announced sanctions on Russia’s VTB Bank, accusing it of “involvement in Iranian sanctions evasion”.

    US President Donald Trump has again claimed that “Iran wants to make a deal” but added that he will “determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage”.

Israeli jets strike near UNIFIL position, southern Lebanon town

    Israeli jets have struck near a UNIFIL peacekeeping position in the town of Hanin in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting.

    Israeli jets also struck the town of Mansouri, NNA reported.

Fishermen missing after drone attacks two boats in southwest Iran

    The deputy governor of Hormozghan province in southwest Iran says a drone attacked two fishing boats in the Gulf near the port of Kargan.

    Search and rescue operations have been launched to locate missing fishermen, according to the state-run broadcaster IRIB.

Share Fishermen missing after drone attacks two boats in southwest Iran on social media

CENTCOM disputes Iran’s account of tanker mine strike

    US CENTCOM says the IRGC’s claim that its navy had struck the tanker El Gaia with naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz is false.

    CENTCOM said the Panama-flagged tanker was hit by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable, and was struck again by an Iranian drone this weekend while sitting in waters off the coast of Oman.

    The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner, CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Portugal’s Foreign Minister says Israeli settlement plan ‘extremely pernicious’

    The Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel has called the Israeli settlement expansion plan E1 “extremely pernicious”.

    Following a meeting with the Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin in Lisbon, Rangel said the Israeli plan would divide the occupied West Bank and isolate occupied East Jerusalem, and was incompatible with a two-state solution.

    Rangel said Israel’s economic pressure on the West Bank and East Jerusalem is undermining prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

    Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues amounted to a “brutal strangulation” of the Palestinian Authority’s finances, preventing the economy from functioning, Rangel added.