Newsroom
Houthis and Red Sea Live: Yemen, Shipping Attacks and Strikes
Live updates on the Houthis in Yemen: attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, missile and drone strikes, naval operations and the war on the ground. Every entry links to our full report.
Tuesday 20 October 2026
Economy & Energy
Saudi Arabia: the “Davos in the Desert” investment forum is postponed to 2027 amid Houthi attacks on Riyadh
Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative, known as the “Davos in the Desert”, planned for October 26-29 in Riyadh, has been postponed to 2027 as Houthi attacks target the Saudi capital.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: UN says more than 250,000 have fled renewed fighting, with 32 civilians confirmed killed in Taiz governorate
The UN said on 20 October that more than 250,000 people have fled renewed fighting in Yemen, and that its human rights chief has confirmed 32 civilian deaths in Taiz governorate, where aid access is largely blocked.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement sent to the Turkish parliament for ratification – opposition demands its rejection
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly for ratification on October 20, while the opposition demands its rejection and detailed briefing.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
US envoy Barrack: Israel is “way too smart” to start a real fight with Turkey – “What scares us all is the unintended accident”
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said in Doha that Israel is “way too smart” to start a real fight with Turkey, but warned of an “unintended accident” and questioned what the Mecca defence pact means for Turkey in Yemen.
Read the full article →Air Force
UK to fly RAF Typhoon defensive missions over Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate, Ministry of Defence says
The UK Ministry of Defence says RAF Typhoons will fly defensive counter-air missions over Saudi Arabia, with an A400M, advisers and extended air refuelling, but will not strike the Houthis.
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Monday 19 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Egypt: the National Defence Council under Sisi pledges “every form of support” to Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s National Defence Council, chaired by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, decided to provide “every necessary and possible form of support” to Saudi Arabia, according to the Egyptian presidency; the statement does not specify what form it will take.
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Sunday 18 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia: two Houthi ballistic missiles toward Khamis Mushait and three drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Province in one night
The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted two ballistic missiles fired toward Khamis Mushait and three drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Province in the early hours of October 18. No casualties or damage were reported.
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Saturday 17 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: the Houthis released 159 detainees of the government forces with the support of the Red Cross
The Houthi authorities in Sanaa released 159 people held in connection with the Yemen conflict on Saturday, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The release was unilateral and is not part of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Sisi: Egypt ready to defend Saudi Arabia “if asked” – parliament convened in emergency session to authorise it
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Egypt will take “any measure” to protect Saudi Arabia if Riyadh asks, and called on parliament to meet in emergency session to give the authorisation, after weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and facilities.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia: “Iran is encouraging” the Houthi attacks on Riyadh – the airport deaths are “war crimes”
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Rayed Krimly openly accused Iran of encouraging the escalation of Houthi attacks on Riyadh, after more than a week of strikes on the King Khalid airport, Aramco and other targets that have killed at least 19 people.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Iran to Saudi Arabia: “We reject every claim of a role in Yemen’s operations” – and offers new mediation
Iran rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusation that it encourages the Houthis’ escalation against the kingdom, while repeating its offer of good offices to end the conflict if both sides ask for it.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Trump: “Israel has helped Saudi Arabia a lot” – normalisation under the Abraham Accords on the table “maybe more than ever”
Trump said he believes Saudi Arabia would accept Israel’s offer of help against the Houthis and that normalisation under the Abraham Accords is back on the table “maybe more than ever”. An Israeli analyst called the remarks premature.
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Friday 16 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: Houthi missiles hit the presidential palace in Aden, five dead and 16 wounded, government safe
The Houthis struck the Maasik presidential palace in Aden’s Crater district with missiles and drones on October 15. The health minister reports five dead and 16 wounded, and the government says the prime minister and cabinet are safe.
Read the full article →Greece
Dendias in Saudi Arabia: crown prince thanks Greece for the Patriot battery, with “technical issues” on its stay still open
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh, then visited the Greek Patriot battery at Yanbu. He said the talks included “technical issues” on its continued stay.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: UN says more than 230,000 displaced since August, with food out in Taiz and 700 trauma patients in a week at some health facilities
The UN spokesperson relayed IOM, OCHA and ICRC figures on 15 October: more than 230,000 displaced since early August, emergency food exhausted in Taiz city and hospitals overwhelmed by trauma cases.
Read the full article →Europe
EU at the Security Council: reopen Hormuz without tolls, reverse E1 and keep a UN presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL
Speaking for the EU and its member states, Stavros Lambrinidis set out positions on Hormuz, Gaza aid, E1 settlements, Houthi attacks and Lebanon after UNIFIL.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
UN Security Council condemns escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in presidential statement
The Council condemned the 10 and 11 October strikes on King Khalid International Airport and attacks on Saudi Aramco sites, and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right of self-defence.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Yemen coalition says it destroyed 127 Houthi mountain storage sites and downed a cruise missile over Medina
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed 127 storage sites used by the Houthis in mountain areas over recent days. A cruise missile was shot down over Medina, and the Gulf-EU summit planned for Riyadh on October 24 has been postponed.
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Wednesday 14 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Houthi missile hits an Aramco building at its Dhahran headquarters, with new threats to airports and oil facilities
A Houthi missile struck an administrative building in the Aramco headquarters compound in Dhahran overnight on October 13-14, and the group has threatened further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: WFP says fighting has cut aid to 800,000 people, most of them in Taiz
The World Food Programme says escalating fighting has cut off aid to 800,000 people in Yemen, more than 600,000 of them in Taiz, and reports 37 of its staff among 72 UN personnel detained by the Houthi authorities.
Read the full article →Europe
EU approves new Lebanon support mission and extends Iraq advisory mission; Kallas says Aspides needs at least 10 ships
At the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 October, EU ministers approved a new support mission in Lebanon and extended the Iraq advisory mission by two years, Kaja Kallas said.
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Monday 12 October 2026
Europe
Hellenic Navy chief tours Italian minehunter in Venice as Dendias asks Rome for two
Vice Admiral Dimitrios Kataras visited the Italian minehunter ITS Chioggia on the sidelines of the Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium in Venice, days after Defence Minister Nikos Dendias raised the transfer of two used Italian minehunters to Greece.
Read the full article →Greece
Houthis claim new strikes on Riyadh and Dammam; Greek foreign ministry advises against travel to Saudi Arabia
Greece’s foreign ministry advised citizens on October 11 to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia unless absolutely necessary, the same day the Houthis claimed a new series of attacks on the Riyadh and Dammam airports and Aramco energy facilities.
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Sunday 11 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
Yemen: Government says it killed 1,150 Houthis in 24 hours; Taiz hospitals close to collapse
Yemen’s internationally recognised government says it killed at least 1,150 Houthis in 24 hours, a figure that cannot be verified independently. Its health ministry warns of an imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe in besieged Taiz.
Read the full article →Middle East & North Africa
Riyadh: 12 dead and 309 injured in Houthi missile attack on King Khalid airport; Rubio says an American is among the victims
Saudi civil aviation says at least 12 people were killed and 309 injured when a ballistic missile hit a passenger terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on October 10. Marco Rubio says an American is among the dead; Trump says the US “may” join the strikes on the…
Read the full article →Greece
UN Security Council: Greece condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and ships, Grundberg warns of “full-scale war” in Yemen
At the Security Council meeting on Yemen on October 9, Greece, which holds the Council presidency for October, condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and on merchant ships. UN envoy Hans Grundberg warned that the country has returned to full-scale war.
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Saturday 10 October 2026
Middle East & North Africa
New explosion at Riyadh airport: injured and flights cancelled as Turkey condemns the Houthis
A powerful explosion hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, October 10. A diplomatic source cited by AFP described it as a new Houthi missile attack; five injured people are reported in critical condition and airlines have cancelled flights. Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks.
Read the full article →Africa
Ethiopia and Eritrea accuse each other of war: Addis Ababa tells the UN of an “all-out invasion”, Asmara cites a “war of aggression”
Ethiopia’s foreign minister told the UN Security Council that Eritrean troops have advanced up to 60 km into Tigray. Eritrea’s information minister says Ethiopia has waged an unprovoked war of aggression for over three years and wants the port of Assab.
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Friday 9 October 2026
Africa
Ethiopia: After Mekelle, fears grow of Eritrean and Egyptian involvement
Ethiopian federal forces took Mekelle on October 3 after more than a week of heavy fighting, but the TPLF says it will fight on, reports of Eritrean troops in northern Tigray add a regional dimension, and Egypt is lining up with Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia.
Read the full article →Asia-Pacific
Pakistan denies New York Times report on PAF fighter jets being used against the Houthis under the Mecca Agreement
Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected as “fake and fabricated” a New York Times report, citing unnamed Pakistani officials, that Pakistan Air Force jets are providing air support against Houthi drones and missiles in Saudi Arabia. The denial does not rule out any deployment: Pakistani military personnel are confirmed to…
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