• Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, says his country supports efforts aimed at restoring stability in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of ‘flagrant attacks’ and condemns Houthis in UN address

Saudi Arabia has used its address to the UN General Assembly to accuse Iran of flagrant attacks on civilian and economic targets across the region, while calling on the international community to condemn Houthi actions threatening Red Sea shipping.

Yemeni forces target Houthi positions across Taiz

Yemeni government forces have carried out multiple air and ground operations across the southwestern Taiz province in the last 24 hours, including air strikes on Houthi positions.

According to the government’s Military Media Centre, dozens of Houthi fighters, including field commanders, were killed or wounded.

The center added that several military vehicles were damaged in the attacks, which also involved repelling infiltration attempts and shelling Houthi gatherings with artillery.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI reaffirms solidarity with Saudi Arabia

The king has condemned the attacks by the Houthis in Yemen against Saudi Arabia, saying, “Any attack on Saudi Arabia is an attack on Morocco.”

King Mohammed VI sent separate telegrams to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In his messages, he stressed that the security and stability of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are an integral part of Morocco’s own security.

Describing the protection of the interests of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states as the “defence of shared strategic interests”, he said Morocco considered standing with these countries to be a defence of “truth and legitimacy”.

Expressing deep concern over attacks targeting civilian and economic facilities, critical infrastructure, cities, and residential areas in Saudi Arabia, the king noted that the escalation of these attacks to include attempts to target Mecca had further intensified the reaction.

 

"..an integral part of Morocco’s own security."

If Morocco were about to be attacked by a Houthi missile ...

In straight-line flight from Morocco to Yemen, the distance is about 5,684 to 5,884 kilometers.

In 2024, it was reported that the Houthis have the Samad-3 ballistic missile, which was modified so that it could fly an indirect route of some 1,615 kilometers. Their second long range missile is the Burkan ballistic missile has a reach of 1,200 kilometers.

What is the Moroccan king talking about?

Intelligence war turns against the Houthis in Yemen

The Russian-Iranian system sustaining and amplifying Houthi military power is being degraded before major Saudi-led air, land and naval operations are fully under way.

Tactical failures exposed during the battle for Yemen’s Mocha city are being corrected within the Saudi-led Joint Forces Command.

The Houthis exploited a compromised command system once. They are now being forced to fight while the external system that magnified their own effectiveness is systematically dismantled.

Yemenis dissuaded from ‘mobilisation’ call over ‘fear of retaliation’ by Houthis

Ibrahim al-Huri, from the University of Saba in Marib governorate, says millions of Yemenis have been suffering from war and “it’s high time for it to come to an end”.

“According to reports by UN organizations, more than five million Yemenis have left their houses for different places across Yemen, and those people are eager to return home. Their families want to live safely and with dignity,” al-Huri told Al Jazeera.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government has called for a general “mobilisation” of the population as part of its long-anticipated pushback against the Houthis.

“I think the call for mobilization will likely receive more support in the government-controlled areas, especially in Taiz and Marib, where people have been suffering more,” he said.

“Even in the Houthi-controlled areas, there would be many people who would like to answer the call for mobilization, but there will be some obstacles and challenges like the fear of retaliation and facing the brutality [of the militia].”

France says military support to Saudi Arabia purely ‘defensive’

French military assistance provided to Saudi Arabia to help it confront attacks from Yemen’s Houthis is “strictly defensive”, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says.

His comments on state television network France 2 follow President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on Thursday of French troops, radar units, and “defence systems” being sent to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has come under repeated missile-and-drone attacks from the Houthis after Yemen’s war reignited in July following a years-long truce, adding another front to the US-Israel instigated Middle East war.

Asked whether France’s aid meant Paris has become a partner in Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis, Barrot said: “Absolutely not… This is strictly defensive. Since the start of the [US-Israeli] war against Iran we have deployed military assets to protect our allies, our partners.

“Does that mean at any time we can be considered co-belligerents? Never.”

Relative calm on Yemen war fronts after heavy fighting

The situation on the ground is one of cautious calm being reported along the fronts following a series of limited clashes and exchanges of artillery fire.

Fighting has been concentrated on the Lahj front bordering al-Wazi’iyah district. At the same time forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government have carried out strikes against Houthi fortifications in the strategic Kahboub mountain range where Houthi fighters still maintain positions.

The relative calm follows a period of intense air strikes by Yemeni warplanes against Houthi logistics sites and reinforcements. According to military sources, several Houthi field commanders were killed or taken out of action after being targeted.

The strikes also extended to al-Wazi’iyah, which has emerged as a key axis in this latest phase of escalation. The district occupies strategically important mountainous terrain overlooking the coastal strip. Its location makes it a crucial link between coastal and inland areas.

Yemeni government forces claim four Iranian experts killed in Taiz

Brigadier General Majeed Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, the spokesman of Yemen’s armed forces, has said the Saudi-backed government forces launched drone and missile attacks against Houthi rebel targets over the past 72 hours in various parts of Yemen.

The statement posted on X claimed the attacks in the Taiz governorate resulted in the killing of four Iranian experts “in a new confirmation of the continued Iranian support and expertise” provided to the armed group.