Iran War: Houthis fire missiles at Presidential palace complex in Yemen’s Aden The Houthis fired several missiles at the presidential palace complex in Aden, Yemen, two government officials told Reuters.

The group also renewed its warning to airlines that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe..Iran War: Saudi coalition says Houthis obtained advanced technologies with regional assistance The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has said the Houthis obtained advanced technologies “with the assistance of regional parties”.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis had become “the first terrorist group to have ballistic missiles, attack drones and explosive-laden speedboats”..Iran War: Four booms heard near presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden Four booms were heard in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen, three witnesses told Reuters.

While Sanaa remains the constitutional and de facto capital under Houthi control, Aden hosts the exiled/temporary government and its leadership at Al-Maashiq Palace. .Iran War: 20 attacks on Riyadh airport since October 1, says Saudi-led coalition Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 17 people and injured 333 between October 7 and October 11.

Speaking at a news conference in Riyadh on Thursday, al-Maliki said the October 10 attack involved 10 drones, missiles and other projectiles.

“King Khalid International Airport has been subjected to 20 attacks since 1 October,” he said..Iran War: France begins implementing agreement to protect Saudi oil facilities France has begun implementing operational elements of an agreement to help protect Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said on Thursday. He declined to specify what equipment or resources had been sent to the kingdom.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that France would deploy troops and defence systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect Yanbu, a Red Sea port city that is key to energy transport. Reuters reported..Iran War: Iran navy says ‘violating’ oil tanker on fire in Hormuz Iran’s army said on Thursday that an oil tanker it described as “violating” was on fire in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement carried by state media.

The army said the tanker had disabled its tracking systems and was attempting to pass through a restricted area in the Gulf of Oman.

Reuters reported..Iran War: More than 200,000 displaced in Yemen as fighting disrupts supplies More than 200,000 people have been displaced in Yemen in recent weeks as escalating fighting disrupts food and fuel supplies, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Alison Bottomley, an advocacy manager at the NRC, told Al Jazeera that Yemen was already facing “one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world” before the latest escalation.

In Taiz, shifting front lines are isolating civilians and blocking essential supplies, with some reports indicating a 50 per cent rise in food prices, she said. Flour supplies could run out within weeks, while fuel shortages threaten access to water..Iran War: Qatar condemns Colombia’s opening of embassy in Jerusalem Qatar’s foreign ministry has condemned Colombia’s opening of its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Wednesday, describing the move as a violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.

In a statement on X, the ministry reiterated its “rejection of any measures aimed at altering the legal and historical status of the city of Jerusalem”. It also urged the international community to take action and “confront any attempts to impose a new reality in the occupied city”..Iran War: Houthi attack on Aramco HQ signals growing missile range: Source Hassan Jouni, a former brigadier-general in the Lebanese army, said the Houthi targeting of Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, about 1,200km (745 miles) away, demonstrated the increasing range of the group’s missiles and their ability to strike deep inside the kingdom.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Jouni said that despite Saudi Arabia intercepting the missiles, the targeting posed a serious and direct threat to the country’s national security.

Saudi authorities responded to a fire caused by the attack on the Aramco building on Tuesday, the Ministry of Energy told the Saudi SPA news agency. No injuries were reported. Al Jazeera reported..Iran War: Houthis deny targeting Medina as Saudi claim missile interception Yahya Saree, spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi armed forces, said the group had not carried out any targeting operation against Saudi territory on Thursday.

He described Saudi claims that an attack had targeted the city of Medina as a “great and immense falsehood”..Iran War: Hezbollah admits explosives-laden vehicle seized in Lebanon belonged to group Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Thursday that a vehicle carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives, seized by Lebanese security forces earlier this week, belonged to the Iran-backed group.

The admission comes as the Lebanese government presses ahead with efforts to disarm Hezbollah..Iran War: Pezeshkian says bombs and missiles cannot force surrender Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said military action cannot force a society to surrender, warning that internal divisions could help the enemy achieve its objectives.

“You cannot force a society to surrender with bombs and missiles, but if we are divided and divided from within, the enemy will achieve his goal,” Pezeshkian said in a speech, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.

He called for stronger national cohesion and unity, urging Iranians to stand together to face the difficulties ahead. Al Jazeera reported..Iran War: Saudis say missile intercepted over medina region Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for Saudi led coalition in Yemen said forces intercepted and destroyed missile over Medina region.

Iran War: European Council condemns Houthi attacks in Yemen, Saudi Arabia The European Council has condemned Houthi attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, particularly those targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, it said in a statement.

The council also called on the Houthis to immediately cease military operations and attacks on civilian vessels “that threaten maritime security” in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, reiterating its support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government..Iran War: IMF says prolonged war poses biggest risk to Middle East economies Prolonged war and renewed disruptions to energy production, shipping routes or critical infrastructure pose the biggest risk to economies across the Middle East and Central Asia, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

The IMF expects the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan region to contract 1.3% in 2026 after 3.3% growth last year, before rebounding 6.6% in 2027.

Jihad Azour, the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia director, said pre-war surpluses, alternative trade routes and inventory drawdowns had limited the initial impact of disruptions caused by the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but warned those buffers were finite..Iran War: No country sells Iran military equipment, army official says No country is willing to sell Iran military equipment, a senior Iranian army official said, adding that Tehran has therefore had to rely on weapons developed domestically.

“As you know, no country sells us equipment that we can simply go and buy,” said Habibollah Sayyari, the coordinating deputy of Iran’s regular military.

Sayyari said the armed forces, Defense Ministry and universities were relying on Iranian engineers and researchers to develop new equipment, adding that the military would use those systems to respond to future threats..Iran War: Iran says IRGC intelligence arrested suspects over anti-establishment activity The prosecutor in Kerman, in southeastern Iran, said the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence arm arrested members of a group accused of setting fire to sites and coordinating anti-establishment activities.

Authorities described the detainees as linked to “counter-revolutionary” groups, a term commonly used by the Islamic Republic for its opponents, but did not identify any organization..Iran War: US military weighs use of ‘mother of all bombs’ in potential future strikes on Iran, CNN says The US military has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as the "mother of all bombs", against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations, CNN reported on Thursday citing US officials familiar with the matter.

The potential deployment of the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal would mark a significant escalation in the conflict, although officials familiar with military planning discussions told CNN questions remain over its effectiveness in achieving Washington's strategic objectives..US Iran War: UN official warns Hormuz fertilizer delay could trigger food crisis Failure by the United States and Iran to agree within weeks on a UN-backed plan to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, a senior UN official told Reuters.

der-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva said the mechanism could be activated within seven to 10 days of an agreement, warning that further delays risk missing the planting season.

He said as few as five vessels a day could keep fertilizer supplies moving to countries in critical need. Fertilizer shipments from the Persian Gulf region have remained largely halted for more than six months..Iran War: Japan advises against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia Japan has raised its travel warning for parts of Saudi Arabia, bringing the entire kingdom under an advisory against non-essential travel following a surge in Houthi missile and drone attacks.

In an update issued on Wednesday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry raised the alert for several northern and western regions from Level 1 to Level 2 on its four-tier scale.

The ministry cited an increase in Houthi attacks since October 5, including strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others.

Areas near the Yemeni border remain at Level 3, where Japanese nationals are advised against all travel.

The ministry also urged travellers to avoid using or approaching Saudi airports unless absolutely necessary, warning that further attacks could occur as fighting in Yemen continues. It advised Japanese nationals planning trips to Saudi Arabia to consider postponing their travel..Iran War: Trump says Iran asks in negotiations to be ‘allowed to live’ US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran was asking in negotiations with Washington to be “allowed to live,” adding, “They don’t want us to go after them.”

“Now their main thing that they ask in negotiation is, ‘Will you please allow us to live?’”Trump said, speaking at a campaign rally in Kalispell, Montana. Trump said Iran no longer had a navy or air force, described its army as “decimated” and said successive levels of its leadership had been killed, adding that he no longer knew “who the hell we’re negotiating with.”“We’re going to knock this Iran thing off fast. It’s going to be over very quickly,” Trump said.

He said the conflict would end “one way or the other” and predicted oil prices would fall once it was over..Iran War: ICRC warns Yemen’s healthcare system nearing collapse as fighting intensifies The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that Yemen’s already fragile healthcare system is under mounting pressure as intensified fighting sends growing numbers of wounded people to hospitals.

In a statement, the ICRC said health facilities in Marib, Taiz and along the Red Sea coast were bearing the brunt of the casualties, with some front-line facilities receiving more than 700 patients in a single week.

“Trauma teams are under immense pressure,” said Feras Abusamra, the ICRC’s health coordinator, warning that few facilities could provide comprehensive trauma care amid shortages of surgical supplies, anaesthetics, oxygen and medicines.

“Our concern is that the health system’s ability to absorb any massive influx of casualties may be extremely limited,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.

The warning follows a separate alert from Yemen’s Ministry of Health that hospitals in Taiz risk suspending essential services, including emergency surgery, intensive care and dialysis, because of dwindling medical supplies and fuel..US Iran War: 'Iran will never have nuclear weapon,' says US war secretary Hegseth as he gets heckled by anti-war protestors US war secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said that the United States will do “what is necessary” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as he was repeatedly heckled by anti-war protesters during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Association of the US Army in Washington, DC.

“The protesters spouting off slogans – Iran really will never have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said during the panel, according to Al Jazeera.

According to the New York Post, protesters interrupted Hegseth's appearance at least five times during the first half hour of the discussion, calling him a “war criminal”, a “coward” and a "Nazi” in protest against the Iran war and Israel-Palestine conflict.

“You’re not a warrior you’re a coward!” one demonstrator shouted at Hegseth. “Children in Gaza are starving! He is a war criminal!”

“She thinks highly of me,” Hegseth responded after one outburst, drawing brief applause from the audience.

As protesters continued to interrupt the discussion at intervals, Hegseth remarked, “Appears we have a bit of a tactic.”The demonstrators were forcibly removed by security personnel, with at least one woman being carried out of the room by multiple officers while continuing to shout, the New York Post reported..Iran War: US considers easing sanctions on Iran, Russia, Venezuela shadow fleet vessels The Trump administration is considering easing sanctions on so-called shadow fleet vessels that have transported oil and petroleum products from countries including Iran, Russia and Venezuela, in an effort to reduce record-high global freight rates, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a US official.

The discussions center on potentially allowing non-sanctioned crude and petroleum products to be transported on previously sanctioned vessels.

The official said the goal was to move more crude and refined products out of the Persian Gulf. Companies seeking to use the vessels would have to apply to the US Treasury Department, the official said.

The Energy Department said any sanctions relief for the shadow fleet would not allow Russia to move sanctioned oil or petroleum products.

Maritime industry sources told Reuters that easing US restrictions was unlikely to lead to a broad decline in freight rates because ship insurers would remain bound by European Union and British regulations..US Iran War: Oil prices fall over $1 a barrel Oil prices are falling in early trade on Thursday as investors weigh risks to supply from attacks on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz against US efforts to cut petroleum shipping costs by easing sanctions on vessels.

Brent crude futures fell $1.39, or 1.31 percent, to $104.67 a barrel as of 01:16 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $1.02, or 1.07 percent, to $94.07, reversing gains from the previous session.

WTI rose to a three-week high in the prior session after the Houthis attacked Saudi Aramco’s headquarters and Iran said it was deploying new tactics to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz and keep oil prices high.

A container ship and a dry bulk carrier both sank near the strait in the past 24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday.

Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is stepping up attacks in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month..Iran War: Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted, destroyed drone in eastern Saudi Arabia Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X that the coalition intercepted and destroyed a drone in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.