Key political developments across the Arab world and beyond.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy said two supertankers exploded off the southern coast of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Guard's naval public relations office, as reported by RT Arabic, the vessels struck naval mines. Separately, US President Donald Trump suggested a new operation against Iran was possible.
Gunmen opened fire on mourners gathered in the courtyard of a church in southern Jordan during a funeral, killing seven people and wounding dozens. The king described the attack as a terrorist act, witnesses recounted scenes of panic, and the search for the attackers is continuing.
The military satellite communications system Starshield resumed operating at higher speeds in Ukraine on Thursday, according to Sky News Arabia. The improvement followed a phone call between US President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk. Trump said Musk had restored Ukraine's access to the military version of the service, as reported by CNN Arabic and RT Arabic.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed four drones over the Riyadh and Medina regions. The Iran-backed Houthi group said it carried out four military operations within 48 hours and claimed it targeted the Saudi Defense Ministry headquarters. Sky News Arabia reported that the incident comes amid Houthi attacks on airports and oil facilities in the kingdom that have continued for about three weeks.
The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned an attack by the Houthi group on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia, which left two people dead and a number of civilians injured. According to RT Arabic, the Houthis announced four operations targeting the Defense Ministry in Riyadh, King Fahd and Abha airports, and Aramco in Yanbu.
The Houthi group (Ansar Allah) said it targeted the Saudi Defense Ministry, while the coalition said it intercepted drones and a ballistic missile. Reuters, citing sources, reported that Aramco ordered the evacuation of its headquarters in Dhahran. Four people were killed in two incidents targeting Dammam airport and the Shaybah oil field, as diplomatic efforts continue to contain the escalation.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran is fabricating attacks in the Strait of Hormuz to drive up oil prices ahead of the US midterm elections. He repeated his line that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, a phrase he says he has used throughout months of war. According to media reports, Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to target US bases in the region if the US military keeps escorting ships through the strait, and RT reported that Trump also accused Iran of laying mines there.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said on Wednesday that two people were killed in an attempted attack on a facility at the Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province. According to Al Jazeera, a drone aimed at a processing plant at the Aramco-operated field was intercepted, but the incident killed a Filipino and a Nepali resident and wounded a Pakistani and an Indian. Al Jazeera's headline also refers to attacks on Dammam airport and a toll of three dead, without further details in the material available.
Dozens of Israeli air force fighter jets flew a sortie on Monday that reached Iran's border, according to Israeli and US sources. The sources said the aim was to deter Tehran from attacking Israel before Israel's elections on October 27. Axios, citing Israeli and US officials, reported that the jets crossed Syrian and Iraqi airspace in what the officials described as a show of force.
Iranian state media reported on Wednesday that several explosions were heard in Hormozgan province in the south of the country, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. No cause was given. Sky News Arabia placed the sounds in the city of Sirik. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington of a "strategic defeat", while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to BBC Arabic, reaffirmed his call for toppling Iran's government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to resume three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States after mid-November, in response to a request from US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The two met on Wednesday in St. Petersburg for about three hours, according to Sky News Arabia. The Kremlin confirmed the position, though the available reports give no specific date or venue for the next round.
BBC Arabic reports deaths and injuries after an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, while the US embassy in Riyadh has asked its staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. CNN Arabic says the order applies to non-essential employees and their family members, so the two accounts differ on its scope. According to the BBC, French President Emmanuel Macron left Riyadh after a surprise visit during his Gulf tour.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced during talks in Norway that Ukraine has resumed intelligence sharing with the United States. The move coincides with diplomatic efforts to address the war, and Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine must take part in any negotiations.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran will not allow any enriched nuclear material to leave the country. He made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir. Rezaei also tied any negotiations with the United States to Washington taking confidence-building steps and meeting Iran's conditions, according to media reports.
The Taiz military axis command of Yemen's government forces said Houthi losses in Tuesday's fighting reached 98 dead and 148 wounded. Government forces also reported carrying out 744 strikes over 24 hours, and Sky News Arabia, citing Yemeni sources, said they repelled a Houthi assault from three directions on the city of Taiz in the southwest. Al Jazeera's live coverage added that the coalition intercepted two attacks targeting Riyadh.
A US official said on Tuesday that Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss new Ukrainian proposals for ending the war. The meeting follows talks in Oslo, which the official described as highly productive. According to Reuters, Witkoff discussed security guarantees for Ukraine in the Norwegian capital with representatives of Kyiv and European countries.
Houthi fighters (Ansar Allah) attacked a security camp in Yemen's Shabwa governorate, killing or wounding dozens as fighting escalated. Government forces responded by shelling Houthi positions and said they have taken the initiative in the clashes.
Egypt's House of Representatives has put off a decision on a request to authorize President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to take military measures in support of Saudi Arabia. Debate will resume next Monday, after two days of discussion ended without a final ruling, according to media reports.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is ready for a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and suggested it could take place during his expected visit to China in November, according to Sky News Arabia. He told CNN he might consider such a meeting. RT Arabic reported that he indicated Iran's nuclear disarmament could be on the agenda, while Sky News Arabia described the topic more broadly as nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Israelis to back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the election scheduled for Oct. 27. On Monday evening, Netanyahu posted on X a video of a phone call with Trump that carried a message of support. Al Jazeera described the endorsement as a break with US convention and as contrary to expectations.
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