Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish officials in Tehran for talks

The regional repercussions of the US-Israeli attack on Iran is being discussed among senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye during a meeting in Tehran.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has carried out air strikes on Houthi-held territory in Yemen including the capital, Sanaa.
Blasts heard in Yemen’s capital and Red Sea coast
Explosions were heard in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa and along the country’s Red Sea coast.

Residents in western Sanaa reported hearing at least four explosions, but it was not immediately clear what had been hit. A woman living near a Houthi base said a loud blast shattered windows in her home and nearby houses.

In the port city of Mocha, recently seized by the Houthis, resident Khaled Adib said a rocket struck a four-story residential building. At least 10 other houses and Mocha General Hospital were damaged, according to Adib and another resident Ahmed Omran.

In southwestern Taiz province, Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces continue to battle for the strategic city of Taiz.UN chief calls for ‘maximum restraint’ as US-Iran rhetoric ramps up
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has demanded that the United States and Iran refrain from relaunching the war in the Middle East, as both sides continue to trade threats.

“I want to send a loud and clear message: we need maximum restraint and diplomatic solutions,” the UN secretary-general posted on X during a visit to Cairo.

“If the sabre-rattling we are witnessing now translates itself into a major mutual escalation, the situation in the region can get out of control,” he warned.

“And navigational rights and freedoms, in accordance with international law, must be fully restored in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.”

Guterres also commended Egypt’s role in helping “create the conditions for dialogue between the United States and Iran”.

Egypt approves military support for Saudi amid Houthi attacks
Egypt’s parliament has authorised its military to help defend Saudi Arabia – a move that ⁠could push Cairo directly into the regional conflict between Yemen’s Houthis and the Gulf kingdom.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asked parliament ⁠last week to approve defending its Gulf ally against Houthi attacks, whose advances also threaten the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait – a gateway to ⁠Egypt’s Suez Canal.

Egypt – the Arab world’s most populous state with one of the region’s largest militaries – joined the Saudi-led coalition in an earlier phase of Yemen’s war in March 2015 mainly as a naval partner. It also deployed about 800 ground troops but played only a limited combat role.

Egypt has not undertaken a large-scale foreign ground ⁠deployment since the 1991 Gulf War.Egypt parliament again discusses military support for Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s parliament has resumed closed-door discussions on authorising President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to provide military support for Saudi Arabia as attacks from Yemen’s Houthis continue.

Nearly 500 lawmakers requested to speak during discussions, raising the possibility of additional sessions before a final vote, according to Egyptian media.

Under Article 152 of Egypt’s constitution, the president cannot declare war or deploy military forces without consulting the National Defence Council and approval from two-thirds of parliamentarians.

The council, chaired by el-Sisi, gave its approval last week. El-Sisi’s has insisted military support for Saudi Arabia would only be defensive in nature.