Houthis condemn US-Saudi attacks on Iraq’s PMF

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group has condemned US-Saudi attacks on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces in a statement published by Al Masirah TV.

“We consider it a heinous, cowardly, and illegitimate aggression that violates all international laws and charters, and it is a blatant assault on Iraqi sovereignty and an assault on the Iraqi people in all their components and orientations,” it said.

Houthis claim downing of Saudi reconnaissance drone over Saada

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group says it shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone early this morning over Saada Governorate using an “appropriate weapon.”

In a statement on his Telegram channel, Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, said the “Karayel” type drone was targeted “while it was carrying out hostile actions in the airspace of Saada Governorate”.

He added that the group “will continue to protect the country’s sovereignty” and that it is their “legitimate right to respond to any violation.”

Traffic in Bab el-Mandeb reaches highest level since July 19, data shows

The Reuters news agency, citing shipping data, reports that 37 commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait yesterday, marking the highest daily count since July 19, when the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, however, remains minimal, it said.

According to Reuters, the data from analytics firm Kpler, shows that 20 ships entered the Bab el-Mandeb strait, while 17 exited. The figures exclude supertankers (VLCCs) and LNG carriers.

The report comes as Yemen’s Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, following earlier attacks on oil facilities.

Saudi, Gulf foreign ministers discuss de-escalation, condemn Iran-linked attacks

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has received phone calls from his counterparts in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, during which the diplomats “stressed the importance of continuing efforts to de-escalate tensions”, according to his office.

Prince Faisal spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.

The ministers stressed the importance of safeguarding “freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait” to help mitigate the security and economic fallout of the crisis.

They also condemned attacks by Iran and “its affiliated militias in Iraq and Yemen”, and emphasized continued coordination and stronger joint action through the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Proxy attacks on Saudi Arabia not a wise move by Iran

Iran is making a mistake by allowing its proxies to target Saudi Arabia, says Sultan Barakat, a professor at Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

Over the past few months, Iran adopted the wise approach of keeping Riyadh out of the war and managed to “successfully neutralize their influence”, Barakat said.

However, Iran has seemingly lost control over its proxies in Iraq and Yemen over the past couple of weeks, he said, adding “little by little” these armed groups have changed Saudi Arabia’s stance.

“First they started by undermining its interests in the Red Sea, and now we’re seeing direct attacks on Saudi installations coming from Iraq,” said Barakat.

This is significant “not only because it will probably force Saudi to change its position vis-à-vis the war, but it will also maybe change the global alliance for President Trump, because many more countries will come to Saudi Arabia’s aid, particularly in the Red Sea, if the equation changes”.

It’s a “really bad calculation” on Iran’s part because over the past two weeks Tehran “managed to shift the discussion from the nuclear program to the Strait of Hormuz”, said Barakat.

Yemen’s Houthis reportedly planning to impose fees for Red Sea transit

A minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government has accused Houthi rebels of working under Iranian guidance to establish a system to impose fees for ships transiting the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Information minister Moammar al-Eryani described “the move as a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia’s military and terrorist activities”.

Al-Eryani said the assessment was provided by recently obtained “confirmed intelligence” indicating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is helping manage the effort.

“The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project,” he told AFP news agency.

He added this would include “the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels”.

The narrow maritime artery has been a critical waterway for delivering vast quantities of Saudi crude to the international market after energy exports were largely choked off by fighting in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump pledges response to surprise Iran attack on Jordan base

President ⁠Trump has pledged to “hit ⁠Iran hard” after the US military said it intercepted ‌multiple ballistic missiles launched towards American forces in the ⁠Middle East.

The comments came in an interview with Fox News. It ⁠was not ⁠broadcast, but a Fox reporter summarized Trump’s response.

After an expletive-laden threat, Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst: “We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating.”

He said the missile attack gave American troops only minutes to react before they successfully intercepted the incoming projectiles.

Trump also said overnight air strikes carried out by U.S. and Saudi forces against Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq were conducted in coordination with the Iraqi government. He described the militias as “a cancer on the world” and said his administration was weighing additional actions aimed at Iranian proxy groups.

Well, it should leave by one retaliatory attack, more of these attacks is resorting to escalation.