The Saudi -led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said it thwarted a missile attack on the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed an attack in the port city of Aden at a site used by the Saudi-backed and internationally recognized government, where an official said at least two people were killed. And a former chief of Israel’s domestic security service has filed a defamation suit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.
Houthis deny responsibility for new attack on holy city
The Saudi-led coalition said in a statement that it intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile over the province of Medina, but notably did not assign blame for the attack.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree denied carrying out the attack. The rebel group previously pledged not to attack airports in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments. The Saudi-led coalition, backing forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government, has been trying to retake those areas.
Houthis claim responsibility for strikes near government palace
Houthi-launched missiles and drones struck Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's recognized government in the port city of Aden, with an official saying at least two people had been killed.
Another six people were wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen quickly claimed responsibility.
Many of Yemen’s government leaders live in exile, and those in Aden were safe, a government official said.
- Ahmed Al Haj in Aden, Yemen
UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
The 15 members of the U.N.’s most powerful body issue few unanimous statements on global conflicts and other issues. But the council condemned “in the strongest terms” the ongoing Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, saying the strikes on civilian airports and other facilities have been “reckless.”
The statement said the council expressed their solidarity with Saudi Arabia and "affirmed the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of self-defence in accordance with international law.”
Former Israeli security chief files suit against Netanyahu
A former chief of Israel’s domestic security service filed a defamation suit against Netanyahu, saying the prime minister had falsely accused him of withholding warnings about Hamas threats before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Ronen Bar, former head of the agency commonly known as Shin Bet, demanded 3 million shekels ($965,000) in the suit filed Wednesday.
Netanyahu, in a post last month on X, accused Bar of "failures and crimes" in the hours before the attack, when Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, setting off a massive Israeli bombardment and invasion that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Netanyahu said Bar knew of the Hamas threat but didn’t inform him, the military or civilian security units.
Bar called the accusations “blood libel,” detailing the steps he took in the hours before the attack to update Netanyahu’s top military advisers and the army, and describes a series of warnings and recommendations his agency delivered in the months before the attack which he says were “consistently disregarded” by the prime minister.
After a string of resignations by top security officials -- including Bar -- Netanyahu remains the only senior figure from Oct. 7 still in office.
Israel carries out deadly strike in Gaza
An Israeli strike north of Gaza City killed one man, according to officials at Shifa Hospital.
Israel’s military said it struck a “terrorist” in the area, without elaborating.
The strike came over a year after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and the Hamas militant group, a period during which Israel continued to launch deadly strikes on the enclave.
More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire was reached in October last year, 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.
Syria sentences 5 over last year’s coastal violence
A Syrian court sentenced two people to death and three others to prison terms over their roles in last year's sectarian violence in the country’s coastal region.
In March 2025, loyalists of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad attacked members of the new government's security forces in areas where a large segment of the country's Alawite religious minority lives. The government's counterinsurgency spiraled into widespread violence in which hundreds of civilians — most of them Alawites — were killed.
Two members of the pro-Assad groups were sentenced to death and a third to 12 years in prison. Two members of the security forces received prison terms.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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