Al Jazeera

By Kristina Harazim and Enes Abuomer

    Saudi-backed Yemeni forces claim advances in western Taiz’s mountain belt overlooking the coast as part of the “Dawn of Yemen” operation.

    Saudi civil aviation authorities say Houthi attacks on Abha and King Khalid international airports have killed three civilians and injured 36 others on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Saudi-led coalition officials say they have launched a comprehensive military operation across Yemen and destroyed 82 Houthi targets, including ballistic missile storage sites and weapons depots, following recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

IRGC Navy official to Trump: ‘The oil market also understands that you are lying’

    Ali Mohammadi, deputy political commander of Iran’s IRGC Navy, has rejected the US president’s claims about the movement of oil and ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

    “If oil and ships are really passing through the Strait of Hormuz, why isn’t the oil market reacting accordingly  Because the market also understands that you are lying,” the Fars news agency quoted Mohammadi as saying.

    He also questioned US claims that the IRGC Navy had been destroyed, asking why US forces remained “600 to 700km away” (about 370 to 435 miles) and were not approaching the strait.

    Mohammadi said the IRGC Navy maintains “full oversight” of vessel movements in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Houthis claim downing Saudi drone over Taiz

    Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akinci armed reconnaissance drone, which they said belonged to Saudi Arabia, while it was carrying out what they described as “hostile missions” over Taiz province.

    Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the drone was brought down using an “appropriate weapon.”

    Separately, Saree said the group targeted gatherings and reinforcements of Saudi-backed forces with ballistic missiles near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

    According to Saree, several missiles struck forces at the Qawah camp in the Ras al-Ara area, resulting in casualties and fires at weapons storage sites. He added that the Houthis also targeted forces south of Bab al-Mandeb, as well as in al-Saqiya and Ras al-Ara, killing and injuring dozens.

Trump says Iran deal is not his preferred outcome as special envoy negotiates

    US President Donald Trump says his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is working on a potential agreement with Iran and is “doing very well”, while indicating that a deal is not his preferred outcome.

    “He’s working on the Iran deal and doing very well. I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas.

    Trump said Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon” and praised Witkoff as “a great negotiator”.

    He also said he expected the war to end soon.

    “That war ends – it’s going to be very soon. It’s got to be very soon,” Trump said, describing Iran as “a failed nation” with “a little spunk left, but not much.”

    Yemenis driven from their homes by the renewed fighting are sheltering in camps around the southern city of Aden, as the UN says more than 200,000 people have been displaced across the country.

Yemen’s UN envoy warns of worsening humanitarian situation unless Houthis stopped

    Yemen’s UN envoy, Abdullah al-Saadi, is urging allies to help pressure the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah, to end the war or risk a worsening humanitarian situation and global insecurity.

    A report by Yemen’s state-run Saba news agency said the ambassador made the appeal during a meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in New York on Wednesday, ahead of a closed consultation session of the UN Security Council on Yemen on Friday.

    Al-Saadi said the Iran-backed group had rejected peace initiatives and instead opted for military escalation targeting civilians, infrastructure and civilian objects in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, while threatening regional security and navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

    Al-Saadi said the war, if not stopped, would have serious local and regional repercussions and worsen the humanitarian situation.

    The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and later imposed their own government. The group also controls northern and northeastern regions, and recently swept through the western coast on the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.

Oil prices climb past $101 a barrel

    Oil prices are extending their upward climb, with Brent crude futures gaining $1.33, or 1.33 percent, to reach $101.53 a barrel as of 01:16 GMT on Thursday.

    US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went up $1.11, or 1.26 percent, to trade at $89.39.

    The increases came amid persistent worries about supply from the key Middle East producing region, driven by an escalation in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

    Fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government has displaced more than 200,000 people.

US and Iran hold indirect nuclear talks in New York: US media

    The United States and Iran have discussed Tehran’s nuclear programme in New York this month as part of indirect negotiations, NBC News reports, citing a US official, a Middle East official and an Iranian official.

    According to the report, the Trump administration wants any agreement with Tehran to address what it describes as outstanding critical issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Washington is not interested in another interim memorandum focused only on the Strait of Hormuz before moving on to nuclear talks, the report added.

    Iran has proposed a seven-day arrangement under which the US would begin lifting sanctions and unfreezing Iranian funds in exchange for reopening the strait, with nuclear discussions to be held separately at a later stage, but US President Donald Trump has rejected the proposal.

More than 200,000 displaced by latest Yemen fighting

By Yousef Mawry

Reporting from Sanaa, Yemen

    The escalation in Yemen is also reaching beyond the battlefield. The government says the Houthis fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aden airport, forcing flights to divert.

    The Saudi-led coalition also says it intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles near Riyadh. Yemen’s internationally recognised government has called on people in Houthi-held regions not to join the group’s campaign.

    But as the two sides fight for ground, civilians are caught in the crossfire.

    The UN says more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the latest fighting.

    “Just look at our situation. We are relying entirely on God. The first camp we entered was in poor condition and the second one was no better. We arrived at this camp in a dire state. We are in desperate need of assistance and support from organisations. We are in need of everything,” said Samir Hassan, a displaced Yemeni.

    Moving from one camp to another, the displaced remain caught between the front lines as the war rages on.

Damascus stands with Saudi Arabia and condemns Houthi strikes on kingdom

    Syria has condemned in the “strongest terms” recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah, on Saudi Arabia.

    In a statement released on its Telegram channel, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Iran-backed armed group’s actions threatened regional security and stability.

    “Targeting civilian facilities and installations, and endangering civilian lives, represents a flagrant violation of international law and relevant rules and charters, and constitutes a direct threat to the security of the Kingdom and the region in general,” the statement said.

    Three people, including two women, were killed in Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abha and King Khalid international airports on Tuesday and Wednesday. The attacks also left dozens injured.

    “Syria renews its full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and stands by it in all legitimate measures it takes to protect its security and stability and safeguard the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory.”

    Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa held talks with Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh this week.

    Syria’s foreign media department said on X that Wednesday’s discussions focused on tangible cooperation around reconstruction, energy, agriculture and trade.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 6, 2026 [Saudi Press Agency via Reuters]