The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Monday that it has degraded their ability to strike targets inside the kingdom after destroying tunnels used to store ballistic missiles and missile launchers.
In Israel, the country’s defence minister strongly denied that the military has clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his reported instructions for an “action” against Iran ahead of national elections on Tuesday.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday.
Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed Houthi missile launchers
An operation in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen destroyed five tunnels used for storing ballistic missiles, four ballistic missile launchers and another missile storage facility, according to the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the operation also aimed to cut the Houthis’ supply lines between areas under their control and targeted rebel fortifications and military equipment along the front lines inside Yemen.
In a post on X, al-Malki said the coalition would continue to use “deterrent operational measures” to protect against the Houthis’ “brutal attacks” inside the kingdom and in Yemen.
Houthis say Saudi-backed forces struck hospital in Red Sea port city
Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry said Monday that Saudi-backed forces targeted a hospital in the Red Sea port city of Mokha, which the Houthi rebels recently seized. It did not provide evidence for the claim and The Associated Press could not independently verify it.
In a statement, the ministry said the attack caused extensive damage to the hospital, but did not say whether there were any casualties. It also said Saudi forces on Sunday targeted a children’s hospital in Taiz province, causing damage.
Earlier on Monday, two residents of Mokha, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said Mokha General Hospital and at least 10 houses were damaged after a rocket struck a nearby four-story residential building. The AP could not independently verify the claim, and it was not clear if this was the same incident that the Health Ministry was referring to.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-backed forces.
— By Ahmed al-Haj in Aden, Yemen
Houthis say they fired missiles at Yemeni government forces
The Houthi rebels claimed Monday that they struck military gatherings and weapons depots belonging to Saudi-backed government forces in Aden and Lahj provinces.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that the rebels fired ballistic missiles at the sites, inflicting losses. The claims could not be independently verified.
The Houthis continue to target government forces and their allies inside Yemen. The Yemeni government accused the rebels on Sunday of targeting displacement camps on the outskirts of the southern port city of Aden. The government didn’t provide evidence to support its claim.
Israel’s defence minister denies clash with the army over Iran
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday dismissed reports regarding rifts between the political leadership and the Israeli military over Iran as “completely baseless and false.”
In a post on X, Katz also said Israel had no intention to strike Iran before Tuesday’s national elections but that it would respond “with great force” if Iran attacks first.
Israeli Channel 12 reported Sunday evening that Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s military chief of staff clashed over the Israeli prime minister’s instruction to carry out an “action” that the army believes could quickly reignite the conflict with Iran. The report did not specify the nature of the action. Netanyahu’s office later described the report as “fake news.”
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Pakistan seek closer cooperation
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan agreed Monday to continue talks on strengthening cooperation, particularly on regional peace and security, Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported.
Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, hosted the four countries’ first quadrilateral meeting in Tehran.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s armed forces chief Gen. Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended.
The IRNA report did not specify when or where the next meeting would take place.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said renewed attacks on Iran would destabilize the region and hurt countries that are not party to the conflict. In a televised address on Monday, he said reports about potential attacks had already driven fuel prices higher.
UN chief `alarmed’ by Israeli settler violence
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday he was “deeply alarmed” by surging Israeli settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Speaking in Cairo on one of his final trips as UN chief, Guterres called for lifting Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza and removing obstacles to the Security Council’s peace plan, warning that “the specter of ethnic cleansing” was looming ever larger.
He said lasting peace in the region depends on Palestinians’ right to self-determination and that a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, is the only viable path.
Guterres also called for restoring stability around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring safety around Yemen’s Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Egypt’s parliament approves help to Saudi Arabia
Egyptian lawmakers on Monday approved President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s request to support Saudi Arabia in countering Houthi attacks.
The decision comes amid growing public concern that Egypt could become involved in Yemen’s long-running conflict.
Egypt’s highest security body previously pledged to provide “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia to defend its “security and stability,” protect its resources and territorial integrity, and safeguard Islamic holy sites.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
The Associated Press
