Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi targeting of Mecca as security alert deepens
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has condemned Yemen's Houthi movement after the kingdom said it intercepted a drone launched towards Mecca. The king described the group as a "terrorist militia" and called the targeting of the holy city a "heinous crime", according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The comments were made during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, in a rare public intervention by the 90-year-old monarch.The latest remarks come after Saudi Arabia said last week that it had intercepted a drone aimed at Mecca, an allegation the Houthis denied. Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi called the Saudi claim "a heinous lie",... [Continue Reading]
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Day News Recap: Ukraine hit by fresh Russian strikes as UN tensions, Houthi escalation and AI calls dominate
Russia launched overnight missile and drone strikes across several regions of Ukraine, killing at least three people and damaging industrial and energy infrastructure, in the latest attack on the country’s power and production network. 🔗In Russia, preliminary results showed Vladimir Putin’s United Russia winning a record supermajority in the State Duma, while separate reports said Russian voters abroad backed the liberal New People party by a wide margin and Moscow is quietly modernising bomb shelters in the capital and St Petersburg. 🔗 🔗 🔗At the United Nations in New York, Donald Trump used his General Assembly speech to threaten Iran... [Continue Reading]
Noontime News Recap: Ukraine hit by overnight strikes as regional tensions and rights disputes deepen
Russian missile and drone strikes overnight hit several regions of Ukraine, killing at least three people and damaging industrial and energy infrastructure, in the latest attack on the country’s power and production network. 🔗In the Middle East, the G7 called on Yemen’s Houthi movement to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and civilian shipping after a renewed escalation that included a strike on Riyadh, while Iran and Pakistan held talks in Tehran as regional diplomacy continued amid rising US tensions. 🔗 🔗Australia faced two separate security and policy disputes, with officials investigating how F 35 fighter jet parts bound for the... [Continue Reading]
G7 warns Houthis to stop strikes on Saudi Arabia after attack on Riyadh
G7 leaders have called on Yemen's Houthi movement to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and civilian shipping, after a renewed escalation that included a strike on Riyadh and reported Saudi strikes on Yemen's Mokha port. In a statement, the leaders urged the Houthis to immediately end military actions and threats against commercial vessels and to return to the political process in good faith. The appeal also came with a call for Iran to end its arming of and support for the group.The statement was issued by the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United... [Continue Reading]
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Breakfast News Recap: UN gathers as wars, sanctions and Asia markets dominate a crowded global briefing
The United Nations General Assembly has opened in New York with nearly 130 heads of state and government due to speak, as the annual gathering begins against a backdrop of war, diplomatic strain and a push for new global rules on artificial intelligence. 🔗UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the world is getting worse as conflicts multiply and the Security Council remains paralysed, warning that divisions among major powers are weakening the international response to crises. 🔗 Twenty two world leaders have also called for urgent AI guardrails, while twenty countries and the European Union backed stronger global oversight and... [Continue Reading]
UK to support Saudi jets as Houthi attacks intensify and Mokha strike kills at least six
The United Kingdom has agreed to provide limited defensive air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets after a request from Riyadh, as the conflict involving Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia intensifies. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Royal Air Force would support Saudi aircraft on defensive missions only, and that the arrangement would be time-limited and kept under review. The move comes as the Houthis continue missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and as fighting in Yemen has widened along the Red Sea coast.Burnham said the decision was taken after advice from the defence secretary and foreign secretary, and that... [Continue Reading]
UN condemns attempted Houthi strike on Riyadh as Yemen displacement passes 130,000
The United Nations has condemned continued cross-border attacks by Houthi forces against Saudi Arabia, including an attempted strike on the capital, Riyadh. The source does not provide details on the timing of the attack or any damage, casualties, or interception results. The condemnation is linked in the same source to the wider conflict inside Yemen, where fighting is driving a major displacement crisis. The report says Yemen is experiencing one of its fastest displacement surges in years. The only figure given is that displacement has surged past 130,000. No further breakdown is provided on where the displaced people are located,... [Continue Reading]
Day News Recap: Iran, Russia and Ukraine dominate a day of rising security tensions
Iran warned that its war with the United States is not over and said it has prepared for a long term confrontation, after fresh threats from Tehran and Washington over possible new strikes and wider retaliation. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would hit new targets and use new weapons if the US attacks again, while Washington also threatened to ground Iranian airlines worldwide from Wednesday. 🔗 🔗 🔗In the Middle East, Israeli forces detained at least 53 Palestinians in a raid on Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, and placed the town under lockdown, while Gaza health officials said Israeli... [Continue Reading]
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Breakfast News Recap: Iran warns of fresh US strikes as Europe, Asia and the Middle East stay on edge
Iran has warned that the United States may resume strikes on the country, after its central military command said it had received information that Washington was preparing further action. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps added that it would hit new targets and use new weapons if the US attacks again, while France said it would summon Iran's ambassador after Tehran closed a French language centre linked to the embassy in Tehran. 🔗 🔗 🔗In the wider Middle East, the Houthis fired missiles toward Riyadh in a fresh escalation with Saudi Arabia, while powerful explosions at a Syrian army weapons depot... [Continue Reading]
Iran's Guards warn of new targets and weapons if US attacks again
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has warned that it would strike new targets and deploy new weapons if the United States launches further attacks on Iran. In a statement reported on Monday, a spokesman for the force said there would be significant changes in Iran's defence and counteroffensive if the conflict escalates again. He added that the Guards were prepared for a prolonged war.The spokesman said Iran would introduce weapons with new capabilities and that its targets would not necessarily be the same as before. He also said Tehran had new targets that had not yet been attacked. The comments... [Continue Reading]
Houthis tighten grip on Bab al-Mandeb as US officials hold talks in Muscat
United States officials have met Houthi representatives in the Omani capital, Muscat, after the group seized thousands of square kilometres of territory in Yemen and tightened its control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The talks took place over the weekend at the US embassy in Muscat, according to the supplied material. The development raises fresh concern over one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints.The Bab al-Mandeb Strait links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a key route for global shipping and energy supplies. The supplied report says the Houthis now control strategically important islands and... [Continue Reading]
US approves $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia amid congressional review
The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, according to the State Department. The decision marks a major arms transaction for the Gulf kingdom and comes as Washington deepens security cooperation with Riyadh. The proposed transfer still requires approval from US lawmakers before it can proceed.The State Department said the sale would improve Saudi Arabia's ability to deter current and future threats by strengthening homeland defence and interoperability with US forces. It also said the aircraft would expand the kingdom's operational fleet and improve air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defence capability. The Saudi... [Continue Reading]
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The Great Uncoupling: Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Gambit
The UAE’s decision to cut ties with OPEC is far more than a mere adjustment of energy policy, for it functions as a political telegram written in barrels and sent directly to the heart of the global order. For nearly six decades, Abu Dhabi operated within the rigid architecture of producer discipline, where it accepted the rituals of quotas, the formality of communiqués, and the heavy burden of collective restraint. It played the long game of oil diplomacy with a patient hand, balancing its own massive national ambitions against the gravity of cartel discipline and the delicate logic of Gulf... [Continue Reading]
The Mirage of the Umbrella: The Shifting Sands of the U.S.-Israel-GCC Alliance
As I sat in a recent debate at the historic Carlton Club in London, listening to Faisal Abbas, the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, I felt a tangible shift in the room, not because a new fact had been revealed, but because an old illusion had finally lost its last breath. The old-world order has not merely changed, it has evaporated, leaving the Gulf to realize it is no longer watching a distant fire from the safety of marble towers and air-conditioned ministries, but is instead standing directly inside the smoke. The GCC today is caught in a lethal crossfire between... [Continue Reading]



