Yemen's government declares a major operation against the Houthis, and
other Mideast news
[October 05, 2026]
Yemen's internationally recognized government has announced a major
military operation against the Iran -backed Houthi rebels as they
advance in the outskirts of a key city.
Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament speaker who was the lead negotiator in
direct talks with the U.S. earlier this year says Washington recently
put forward proposals via a mediator, without details. And a monitor
says a commercial tanker has reported explosions near the Bab el-Mandeb
Strait off Yemen.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Full coverage is
available here.
Yemen’s government declares major military operation against Houthis
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling Presidential Leadership Council,
made the declaration as the Iran-backed rebels advanced in the outskirts
of a key southwestern city, Taiz.
Speaking from neighboring Saudi Arabia, he said the operation aims at
“recovering the remaining territories” controlled by the Houthis, who
made their largest land grab in recent years last month when they seized
Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Al-Alimi called for the international community to provide support to
his Saudi-backed government. In a separate statement, a Saudi military
spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, stressed the kingdom's right to
take all necessary measures to deter the rebels.
The Houthis have launched a major offensive in recent days against
government forces and their allies on the outskirts of Taiz, disrupting
a major road linking the city to the port city of Aden, the seat of al-Alimi’s
government. The rebels have besieged Taiz for more than a decade.
Earlier, the Houthis said airstrikes hit the capital, Sanaa, overnight,
without giving details. The Yemeni military, backed by Riyadh, claimed
responsibility, saying it struck “vital targets” in Sanaa as well as the
northern province of Saada on the border with Saudi Arabia.
The escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has revived Yemen’s
civil war after a four-year ceasefire.
Iran official says US has shared proposals
The United States recently put forward proposals through a mediator,
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, told an open session
of Parliament, without details.
U.S. President Donald Trump last week said he rejected Iran’s latest
peace offer because it’s not good enough. Qalibaf, the lead negotiator
in rare direct talks with the U.S. earlier this year, said Americans
“say something different in the media.”
Qalibaf said “the era of dragging out time and dictating unilateral
demands is over” and that Iran's seven conditions for fully reopening
the Strait of Hormuz remain.
Separately, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told ambassadors and chargés
d’affaires of foreign missions in Tehran that “if they seek diplomatic
avenues, we remain ready to reach a fair and honorable solution through
diplomacy to end this war." But he warned that any renewed military
confrontation would bring a stronger response.
Araghchi also rejected a U.S. claim that the Iranian delegation had been
expelled from the U.S. days after the annual U.N. gathering of world
leaders, where Iran proposed a deal to the U.S. that was turned down. He
said Iran had returned according to a previously arranged schedule.
Tanker reports explosions near Bab el-Mandeb Strait
A British military monitor said a commercial tanker has reported
explosions “in close proximity” near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the
southern end of the Red Sea off Yemen.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the crew was
reported safe and authorities were investigating after the blasts 60
nautical miles south of the port city of Mokha in Yemen. The tanker was
not identified.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the U.S. Navy, calls
the threat level in the area substantial after Iran-backed Houthi rebels
last month seized land next to the Strait. The rebels say they are
targeting Saudi shipping.
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A man walks inside a damaged sponge factory in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday,
Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Iran's oil minister resigns, state media say
Iran’s oil minister resigned and President Masoud Pezeshkian
accepted his resignation, state television reported. Pezeshkian
appointed Hamid Bovard as caretaker oil minister following the
resignation of Mohsen Paknejad. Bovard has been CEO of the National
Iranian Oil Company.
The reason for the resignation was not immediately clear. It came as
Iran’s oil exports face intense pressure from tightened U.S.
sanctions and a naval blockade.
Iran’s ability to export oil is a crucial source of government
revenue. Tehran has demanded that Washington lift sanctions on its
oil sales and end the blockade as part of negotiations over
reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli strikes kill 2 in Gaza, health officials say
An Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle killed one Palestinian and
wounded at least 11 others, according to health officials at the
Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Israel’s
military said it targeted a known Hamas militant.
Later, a Turkish aid agency, the Deniz Feneri Association, said one
of its volunteers was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza. Israel's
military said it “eliminated” a Hamas militant whom it described as
the aid group's director.
Palestinians in Gaza have reported a surge in Israeli fire and
airstrikes across the enclave over the past month. Israel says it is
targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in
response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,445 Palestinians in Gaza
since a ceasefire was reached with the Hamas militant group nearly a
year ago, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its figures
are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent
experts. It doesn’t give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire.
Tanker in Strait of Hormuz struck by projectile, British military
says
A projectile struck a tanker on the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the
engine room, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center
said.
It was not immediately clear who launched the attack or when it was
carried out. The UKMTO said the crew was reportedly safe.
In a separate report, the Joint Maritime Information Center,
overseen by the U.S. Navy, said three tankers were struck on
Saturday while transiting the strait, noting that attacks on the
Omani side of the strait continue. That's where the U.S. military
has been guiding vessels.
Overall ship traffic on the strait has improved but remains below
prewar levels, as do shipments of energy products, even though Iran
has lost its near-complete grip on the crucial waterway due to the
U.S. Navy’s efforts. That, along with various pipelines, has allowed
Gulf countries to restore oil exports to nearly prewar levels.
Houthis claim to hit Saudi oil facilities
The Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said the
rebels fired missiles and drones at Saudi oil facilities.
In a prerecorded statement, Saree claimed to have targeted
facilities of the Saudi state-run Aramco oil company, in the
capital, Riyadh, and the Kurais area, which hosts a massive facility
150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Riyadh.
He didn’t say when it occurred, provide further details or offer
evidence supporting his claim. A fire broke out at an Aramco oil
refinery on Saturday, with no details released on the cause.
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