UK to send jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks, and other
Mideast news
[October 21, 2026]
Britain says it will expand its military support to defend Saudi Arabia
against attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In southern Yemen,
the death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government training
camp rose to 73. And the United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis
in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz, where Houthi strikes on Tuesday
killed two people and wounded six.
Meanwhile, an Israeli attack on an apartment in Gaza killed two people
and wounded others. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas
militant.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full
coverage here.
Britain extends ‘defensive’ military support for Saudi Arabia
Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Royal Air Force Typhoon jets would
“conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to
protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national
infrastructure from Houthi attack.”
That means the British planes would shoot down airborne drones or
missiles, but not strike Houthi targets on the ground, Streeting said.
The U.K. also is sending a military transport and an unspecified number
of military advisers to Saudi Arabia, and is extending its offer to
provide in-air refueling of Saudi planes operating against the
Iran-backed rebels for another 90 days, Streeting said.
Pre-dawn Israeli attack on Gaza apartment kills 2
The attack before dawn Tuesday killed a husband and wife and wounded
others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it
targeted a Hamas militant. Other Israeli strikes on Monday killed at
least four people.
Israel's military has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza since
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last year, according to the
territory’s health ministry, which maintains detailed records and is
regarded as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish
between civilians and militants in its toll but says women and children
account for nearly half of those killed.
Death toll from Houthi attack on training camp reaches 73
The recruits were all aged between 18 and 20, and some were still
missing a day after the Iranian-backed rebels hit the government's al-Alam
military training camp with ballistic missiles, Shabwa governor Awad Ibn
al-Wazir told The Associated Press as he announced the new death toll.
Monday’s strike was part of a recent surge of fighting in Yemen, which
started when forces from the internationally-recognized government and
Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa
International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that had
largely paused Yemen's civil war.
UN says Houthi siege of Taiz risks humanitarian crisis
A Houthi missile hit a residential area in the besieged city of Taiz on
Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and wounding six other people, local
authorities said.
The Houthis have besieged Yemen’s third-largest city as part of their
monthslong offensive against Yemeni government forces, repeatedly
targeting it with missiles and artillery.
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Dima Yassin mourns over the body of her mother, Dina Yassin, during
the funeral of her parents, who were killed in an Israeli army
strike on an apartment in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP
Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The rebels have largely encircled the city and cut off most supply
routes from government-held areas, putting civilians at “grave
risk,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The siege
has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and
other necessities.
“Humanitarian aid must be immediately allowed to enter the city and
its passage must be facilitated. Civilians wishing to leave must be
allowed to do so freely and safely,” Türk said.
Qatar says Israel isn't committed to negotiating an end to Gaza
war
A senior Qatari official says Israeli leaders are instead focused
only on “war and death and destruction” in the leadup to Israel’s
first national elections since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
“Sadly, right now we do not have a partner for peace in Israel,”
said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry and
adviser to the Qatari prime minister, speaking to The Associated
Press on stage at the Global Security Forum in Doha.
Al-Ansari said: “You look at all the statements coming out from all
the political parties and all the political candidates right now in
the elections. Does any of them even talk about peace with
Palestinians? Does any of them even talk about stability of the
region?”
Qatar also warned that Iran's targeting of shipping in the Strait of
Hormuz and threats to undersea internet cables would cause the
greatest harm to countries in the region, including Iran itself.
Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, director of the Foreign Ministry's media
department, said such actions “must stop immediately.”
Netanyahu holds call with Trump over Iran
Netanyahu suggested that Israel and the United States could launch
new attacks on Iran in a video he posted of a call with Trump.
During the call, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement, which
came about a week before Israel’s national elections. Netanyahu
faces a tight reelection race widely viewed as a referendum on his
leadership before and after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack and through
a series of inconclusive wars, including with Iran.
“Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we’ll finish it
together. We’ll finish it, and no one else will do it,” Netanyahu
said in the video.
Iran says it won't surrender enriched nuclear material
Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei said during a meeting with
Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir on Tuesday that Iran won't
negotiate with the United States until Washington takes steps to
build trust and meets Tehran’s conditions.
Rezaei added in a statement reported by Iran’s state broadcaster
that his country would not surrender “a single particle of enriched
nuclear material.”
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