At least 46,000 people flee escalating fighting in Yemen, UN reports
At least 46,000 people have been driven from their homes since the fighting resumed between the Iran-aligned Houthi group and pro-government forces in southwestern Yemen last week, the United Nations said.
"At least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated last week," the UN's International Organization for Migration said in a statement, warning that "the number is alarmingly rising by the hour".
Iran's Pezeshkian arrives in India for BRICS summit
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday for an 11-member BRICS summit where the the Middle East conflict will be high on the agenda, Indian broadcasters showed.
Pezeshkian, on his first visit to India as leader, will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the IRNA news agency said. The two-day BRICS summit opens on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia launches two air strikes on Mocha airport, Houthi media reports
Saudi Arabia launched two strikes targeting the airport of the strategic city of Mocha, now under Houthi control, according to the group's Al-Masirah TV channel.
Yemen's Tehran-aligned Houthis seized control of the Red Sea port city on Thursday after launching a large-scale offensive last week against Riyadh-backed Yemeni government forces.
"The Saudi enemy launched two strikes on Mocha airport," the Houthi TV channel said.
Yemeni government forces pull out of Perim Island in Bab al-Mandab strait, two Yemeni government sources say
Yemeni government forces withdrew from the island of Perim, also known as Mayyun, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, two government sources told Reuters.
Control of the island and the port city of Dhubab, which sits directly across from it and which the sources said the Houthis entered earlier on Friday, is key to gaining hold of the strait.
Two Yemeni government sources say Iran-aligned Houthis have reached port city of Dhubab
The Iran-backed Houthis reached the Yemeni town of Dhubab, which sits directly on the Bab al-Mandab Strait across from the island of Perim, two Yemeni government sources told Reuters.
Control of Dhubab and Perim, also known as Mayyun, is key to gaining hold of the strait.
Houthis seize key Red Sea island, complete takeover of Bab al-Mandab area, local official tells AFP
Yemen's Houthis took over a key island in the Red Sea, completing their push to seize control of the Bab al-Mandab strait area, a local government official and eyewitnesses told reporters.
"Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday," the official said, referring to an island also known as Perim that divides the strait into two shipping lanes.
An eyewitness said gunmen were "deploying along the Bab al-Mandab shore and are driving around in military vehicles".
Iran's Araghchi and Pakistan's Munir discuss Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, Pakistani official says
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir discussed finding ways to restore diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Tehran's conflict with the US on all fronts, a Pakistani security official told Reuters on Friday.
The two spoke by phone on Thursday and the conversation was focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran, the possibility of getting back to talks and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the official said.
The Pakistani military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for a comment.
South Korean and Iranian foreign ministers discuss Strait of Hormuz, Seoul says
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun had a telephone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and discussed the situation in the Middle East, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
- Trump says he does not regret Iran war despite impact it may have on midterm elections
- Iran and Gulf states to meet in push for Hormuz deal, FT reports
- Trump declines Saudi crown prince's call for US strikes on Houthis, Axios reports
- Houthis seize key Red Sea island, complete takeover of Bab al-Mandab area, local official tells AFP
Trump declines Saudi crown prince's call for US strikes on Houthis, Axios reports
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday and urged him to launch strikes against the Houthis, Axios reported, citing two US officials.
Trump rejected the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, the report said.
According to Axios, Washington is increasingly concerned about the rapidly escalating conflict in Yemen and is stepping up support for Saudi Arabia while seeking to avoid direct military involvement.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command, travelled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination talks, according to the report.
US military and civilian officials have also told their Saudi counterparts in recent weeks that Trump's directive is to keep American forces focused on Iran and safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, while avoiding the opening of another military front, Axios added.
Iran and Gulf states to meet in push for Hormuz deal, FT reports
Gulf foreign ministers plan to meet their Iranian counterpart in a push by Oman and Iran to secure buy-in for a temporary deal to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported.
The gathering is scheduled to be held on Monday in the Omani coastal city of Salalah, the report said, citing two people briefed on the matter.
Hormuz shipping traffic falls to single digits, data shows
Vessel transits at the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, preliminary shiptracking data showed on Friday, well below the 10-day average of 15.
Of the seven, two vessels exited and five entered, according to the data.
The figures exclude any vessels that might have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection.
Before the US-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28, the strait typically handled about 125 large, commercial vessels per day, including tankers, gas carriers, bulkers and container vessels, accounting for some 20 percent of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
Trump says he does not regret Iran war despite impact it may have on midterm elections
US President Donald Trump said he did not regret going to war against Iran despite the impact the conflict may have on the November US midterm elections.
"I don't believe in the word 'regret'. You can always question yourself a little bit," Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham when asked if he regretted the Iran war due to the impact it may have on the elections.
"If I had it do again, I would do exactly as I did," Trump said in the interview broadcast on Thursday on "The Ingraham Angle" show.
Trump dismissed suggestions that some of his supporters were upset and demoralised about the war.
- Israeli strike in Gaza kills family of four, hospital and Palestinian security officials report
- Yemen's Houthis report about 40 strikes in fresh Saudi attack
- Iran-backed Houthis take control of Yemeni Red Sea city of Mocha, sources say
- Houthis say Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab navigation safe and operating normally
- Benchmark oil contract Brent crude soars more than 5% to over $106 per barrel
- Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah underground infrastructure in south Lebanon
Yesterday's key developments:
- Saudi authorities issued brief alerts warning of potential danger in two areas near the border with Yemen, after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Riyadh launched dozens of air strikes on Yemen.
- A 4.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in southern Lebanon by the US Geological Survey (USGS) after the Israeli military announced that it had blown up tunnels belonging to Hezbollah.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday its navy targeted a US unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
(the broadcaster with Reuters, AP and AFP)
