Iran war, Houthis-Saudi Arabia, another drone battle. UN condemns. LIVE

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the increase in Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including the "irresponsible" attacks against Riyadh international airport, reiterating the "inherent right" of the Saudi authorities to defend themselves. But in the meantime the battle of drones continues, shot down both in Yemen and in Saudi Arabia.

A Hamas commander who participated in the October 7, 2023 offensive and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant were killed yesterday in separate attacks in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announced this, specifying that an attack in northern Gaza killed Mohammed Mohammed Abd al-Khalek Hala, identified by the Israel Defense Forces as a Hamas commander in the weapons production division of the terrorist group, which had invaded Israel on 7 October. According to the army, Hala produced various weapons and contributed to the "military strengthening of the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip".

Another attack, which occurred in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killed Ahmad Jabrin Tawfiq Dalha, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the Israeli Defense Forces, according to which both had intensified attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and were attempting to restore the capabilities of the two terrorist groups, "in systematic violation of the ceasefire".

The number of ships reporting attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz has reached a record high, according to an analysis by BBC Verify based on data from Britain's shipping agency UKMTO. Twelve boats were reportedly attacked between October 5 and 11, the highest number of weekly attacks reported to the agency since the conflict began. In the previous week, 10 ships had reported attacks. According to the Ukmto, six of these boats were hit last Sunday, a figure which represents the highest peak recorded in a single day. Since the beginning of this week, four more attacks have been reported. Industry data indicates that as attacks have increased, the recovery in oil flows through the Strait - seen last month - has slowed: According to data from trade analytics firm Kpler, around 12.6 million barrels per day passed through the Strait on October 13, lower than the 15 million recorded at the end of September. For comparison, before the conflict began the flow was around 17 million barrels per day. Experts say Tehran is targeting the ships in an attempt to exert greater control over the sea passage, just as the US military has stepped up escort operations on oil tankers passing through the southern part of the strait in an attempt to shield them from Iranian attacks. Experts also note that Iran is conducting an increasing number of attacks against vessels that are even further away from the Strait of Hormuz.

China calls for the full opening of access to the Gaza Strip to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and urges Israel to stop and revoke the forced creation of settlements in the West Bank. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi while meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Baku, on the sidelines of the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang defined the two-state solution as the correct way to resolve the Palestinian issue, underlining that approximately two million civilians in Gaza cannot continue to live in extremely precarious conditions and that the humanitarian crisis must not worsen further. The Chinese diplomatic chief reiterated that the promotion of peace and regional reconciliation constitutes a pillar of Beijing's policy in the Middle East, inviting the parties to return to dialogue and seek a political solution to the conflicts.