Key political developments across the Arab world and beyond.
A report by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, citing recent satellite imagery, points to renewed activity at the Minzadehi site northeast of Tehran, months after it was hit in an Israeli attack. Russian outlet RT described the site as heavily fortified and reported that the Israeli military said in March 2026 it is used for nuclear warhead research and development.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern on Monday over a sharp escalation of fighting in Yemen. He also condemned cross-border attacks launched by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, according to media reports.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington moved its bombers out of RAF Fairford in south-west England because of threats targeting them. Al Jazeera and RT Arabic reported that he tied the threats to Iran. The move followed a security incident near the base that triggered an investigation into possible terror plotting, while the BBC reported that the decision was military rather than political, taken at the operational level and relayed by the US military to its British counterpart.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian voiced doubt about the value of dialogue with the United States, saying sanctions and threats continue, and accused Washington of trying to bring Iran down, according to the Tasnim news agency. Al Jazeera reported that Tehran rejects negotiating under pressure and hints at surprises, while Washington says its economic pressure will go on and President Trump is open to talks. The exchange coincided with an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced three operations targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery in Rabigh and Abha airport, as well as what he called sensitive sites in Najran and Jizan. Sky News Arabia reported that the group said it used ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones. The available material contains no independent confirmation of the attacks and no official Saudi comment.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government said on Monday that its naval forces carried out an operation in Hodeidah governorate, in the country's west. According to the coalition, the strike destroyed weapons depots, explosive-laden boats and sea mines, and disrupted a Houthi plan for imminent attacks on a waterway in the southern Red Sea. It said the aim was to protect navigation security around the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
The political and defense strategy committee of the Mecca Defense Alliance, which groups Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, has decided to begin applying the bloc's joint defense commitments immediately, according to a statement issued after an emergency meeting. The steps include arrangements to provide the agreed forces and military capabilities and to speed their deployment in Saudi Arabia.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf said the United States recently submitted proposals through an intermediary, adding that the era of stalling and unilateral demands is over. The US State Department said Washington expelled two members of the Iranian delegation who remained in the country after the UN General Assembly meetings ended. Araghchi said there is no military solution with Iran, while BBC Arabic reported on camps training women to use weapons in the country.
Parties to the Mecca Agreement on joint defense are due to meet in Riyadh on Monday. Meanwhile, the Yemeni government has launched a military operation following attacks and territorial gains by the Houthis, according to BBC Arabic. The developments point to military action by both sides.
Iran said it is reviewing the US response to its proposal, according to Al Jazeera, which cited the Iranian deputy foreign minister. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told RT Arabic that Tehran believes the response does not differ from earlier proposals in its focus on the nuclear file. The US energy secretary said supplies through the Strait of Hormuz have kept rising in recent weeks, while Washington continues its diplomatic and military pressure.
Yemen's internationally recognized government announced on Sunday the launch of a large-scale military operation aimed at halting recent gains by the Houthis. Al Jazeera reported that government forces dubbed it the "battle of liberation and restoring institutions," and that the prime minister said the goal is to extend state authority across the whole country. The outlet also said the coalition renewed its support for government forces.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday that Cairo has no involvement in what is happening inside Ethiopia. He was responding to accusations from Addis Ababa that Egypt backs rebels fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The remarks come amid diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Egypt provided military support to Gulf states after Cairo received requests for help in countering what he described as Iranian attacks. He added that Egypt had also offered every form of support, according to RT Arabic.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said on Saturday that the investigation into flydubai flight FZ1073 found the co-pilot had begun carrying out a terrorist operation. BBC Arabic reported that Israel took part in questioning him. International media reports say the co-pilot, an Omani national, had been barred from flying in his home country over suspected extremist views, with Omani authorities believing he was influenced by extremist groups during a trip to Syria.
Ethiopian government forces have retaken the main airport in Mekelle, the capital of the northern Tigray region, according to three sources cited by Reuters on Saturday. The development is a major setback for the opposition alliance in one of its key strongholds. Al Jazeera reported that forces allied with the federal government have also entered the city, and that Washington has urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to engage in dialogue.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) said on Saturday they targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, calling it a response to strikes on Sanaa. Sky News Arabia said it was the second such claim in two weeks. The group's Al-Masirah channel said Saudi Arabia attacked Sanaa early Sunday, while Yemen's army said it carried out strikes on the Houthis in the capital. Yemen's government has also launched a "general mobilization"; the available reports include no independent confirmation of damage and no Saudi comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the co-pilot who stabbed a flydubai captain had earlier been barred from flying in Oman over concerns that he held extremist ideological views. According to Al Jazeera, flydubai has suspended its flights and Israel's El Al has cancelled services meant to bring back stranded passengers, while Israel has resumed evacuation flights from Dubai.
British counter-terrorism police and prosecutors have charged two Iranian nationals on suspicion of planning a terrorist act against the Jewish community in Manchester. According to Al Jazeera, investigators suspect the men tried to obtain materials for an explosive device and scouted locations in the city on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Al Jazeera adds that they may have been in contact with an entity in Iran.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government said on Friday that it intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Khamis Mushait. Sky News Arabia reported that Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry made the same announcement, placing the city in the south of the kingdom. The available reports gave no details on damage or casualties.
One Palestinian was killed and another wounded on Friday in an Israeli strike on a police checkpoint in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Sky News Arabia. Two other Palestinians, including an elderly woman and a girl, were wounded by fire from Israeli military vehicles northeast of the city. Separately, medical sources told Al Jazeera that four Palestinians were killed early Saturday in a strike on a residential apartment in western Gaza City.
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