Henning Ott
Jordan: IS fighters killed in attacks in Syria
According to government information, the Jordanian air force has killed more than 20 fighters from the extremist militia Islamic State (IS) in southern Syria. The operation avoided “known civilian areas,” explains Jordanian Communications Minister Mohammed al-Momani. The attacks on Tuesday night were carried out in coordination with Damascus. The Syrian authorities, however, say seven people were killed, including three children and a woman.
Leonidas Exucidis
Oil prices fall slightly again
Hopes for diplomatic progress in the Middle East conflict will also lead to a slight fall in oil prices on Tuesday. The price of Brent oil for delivery in December is 0.8 percent lower than $115 per barrel. WTI oil is just over the $100 mark. Prices had already fallen slightly the day before.
On Tuesday, traders again referred to the meeting of the Mecca Pact states the day before in Tehran and talks with the Iranian regime.
Sabrina Frangos
Military coalition: Houthi missiles and drones intercepted on Saudi Arabia
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen says it has intercepted and destroyed several missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebels. The Iran-backed group aimed three ballistic missiles at the eastern region of Saudi Arabia and four drones at the south of the country, the alliance said on Tuesday. Saudi Civil Defense initially issued early warnings of a possible enemy threat to the affected areas. It was later said that the danger in both regions was over.
The conflict between the kingdom and the Houthis has recently worsened again. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its attacks on the group since it captured strategic areas on Yemen's Red Sea coast last month. The Houthis advanced towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This is a key global shipping route for Gulf oil producers and lies on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed fighting has destroyed a 2022 ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. This had largely stopped attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa.
Vivian Melchert
Iran's Foreign Ministry: Exchange with the USA not broken off
According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai, Iran continues to exchange messages with the United States through intermediaries. At the weekend, Baghai said the Islamic Republic had not closed the window for diplomacy. However, Washington is sticking to unilateral demands. US President Donald Trump and other US government officials have repeatedly spoken of a “complete surrender” that no Iranian will accept.
Vivian Melchert
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan want to cooperate more closely
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to continue talks on closer cooperation. The Iranian state news agency Irna reported on Monday that the focus should be on peace and security in the region.
Mohsen Resai, the Secretary General of the Iranian Security Council, invited people to the first joint meeting of the four states in Tehran. Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman took part on behalf of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan was represented by army chief Asim Munir, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin traveled on behalf of Turkey. The Irna report did not say when and where the next talks would take place.
Reuters
Vivian Melchert
Erdogan: New attacks on Iran would destabilize the region
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against resuming attacks on Iran. In a televised address on Monday, he said renewed attacks would destabilize the region and also harm countries not involved in the conflict. Reports of possible attacks have already caused fuel prices to rise.
Vivian Melchert
Houthis accuse military coalition of attacking hospital
The Houthis have accused troops of the Saudi-led military coalition against the militia of an attack on a hospital in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha. The militia's health ministry said on Monday that serious damage had been caused. The ministry did not say whether there were any victims. It did not provide evidence of the alleged attack. The Houthis took Mocha in September.
The ministry also said Saudi troops attacked a children's hospital in Tais province on Sunday. Damage was also caused.
Two Mocha residents who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP on Monday that the city's general hospital and at least 10 houses were damaged when a rocket hit a four-story apartment building. The AP could not independently verify the information. It remained unclear whether this was the same incident that the Houthi ministry was referring to.
Vivian Melchert
Houthis report attacks on Yemeni government troops
The Houthi militia in Yemen say they have used ballistic missiles to attack positions of government troops supported by Saudi Arabia. The attacks were directed against troop gatherings and weapons depots in the provinces of Aden and Lahj, Houthi military spokesman Jahja Sari said on Monday.
Yemen's internationally recognized government accused the militia on Sunday of attacking displaced persons camps on the outskirts of the city of Aden.
Marie Boms
Insider: Lebanese Hezbollah is preparing for a new war in the region
According to security sources there, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has been preparing for a possible resumption of fighting with Israel over the past three months. Reuters learned this from several insiders who are familiar with the activities of the radical Islamic organization.
Accordingly, the Shiite Hezbollah has received tens of millions of dollars in financial support from Iran to strengthen its military capabilities. The funds would be used for rearmament, several insiders said. The focus is on obtaining explosives and producing drones that could be used against Israeli positions. In addition, command and control structures that had collapsed in previous battles would be restored.
Marie Boms
Pakistani military chief speaks with Iranian colleague
Pakistani military chief Asim Munir, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Iranian military chief Mohsen Resaei in Tehran. Pakistani Senator Sehar Kamran announced this on the X platform on Monday. Iran's constructive participation could help address threats to Saudi Arabia's security and reduce threats to the energy-critical Bab al-Mandab Straits and the Strait of Hormuz, Kamran said.
Munir had already visited Tehran last week to restart talks between the USA and Iran. It was also about ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Marie Boms
Egypt allows steps to defend Saudi Arabia
Egypt's parliament has authorized President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take measures to help Saudi Arabia defend the kingdom. This was reported unanimously by several state-affiliated media outlets.
The approval was given with a two-thirds majority, reported the Egyptian news site “Youm7”. The prerequisite for possible military support is coordination with Saudi Arabia and a corresponding request from Riyadh. The decision was preceded by several days of closed discussions in parliament about the extent of possible military support.
Anna Lena Stahl
Negotiators want to prevent new escalation in the Iran war
High-level negotiators from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have arrived in Iran for talks. Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin wanted to discuss ways to prevent a new escalation between Iran, Israel and the US in Tehran on Monday, two government officials from the region said. Qatari mediators who coordinated with the USA were already in Tehran on Sunday.
According to the information, the goal is an agreement between the USA and Iran. The civil war in Yemen and the attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels were also on the agenda, it was said. An Iranian government official confirmed the arrival of the negotiators. Saudi Arabia said the delegations hoped to “find ways to reduce tensions, strengthen regional security and promote stability.”
Anna Lena Stahl
Katz: Israel is not planning an attack on Iran before the election
Israel has no plans to attack Iran before Israel's parliamentary election this Tuesday, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz. Katz was reacting to a media report about alleged serious differences of opinion between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military chief Ejal Zamir with regard to Iran. “I make it unmistakably clear that Israel never intended to initiate an attack on Iran before the elections in Israel,” the minister said on Platform X. “At the same time, we have made it clear that we will react with great severity if Iran attacks Israel.”
The Israeli TV station N12 reported on Sunday evening that there had been a violent conflict between Netanyahu and Chief of General Staff Zamir over a planned military measure that could trigger an escalation with Iran shortly before the election. Zamir requested detailed advice and written legal protection before implementation. There are fears among the army leadership that Netanyahu could use the conflict with Iran for domestic political purposes. Netanyahu denied the report.
Anna Lena Stahl
Mecca Pact: Top representatives discuss regional security in Tehran
According to Iranian sources, top representatives of the Mecca Pact states Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are expected to meet in Tehran later today for discussions on the conflict in the Middle East. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would come to the Iranian capital for consultations, deputy secretary of the Islamic Republic's National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani said on state television on Monday.
According to insiders, the talks will focus on the regional security situation. There were initially no confirmations from Riyadh, Islamabad and Ankara. It would be the first high-level contact between the leadership in Tehran and the new defense alliance since Saudi Arabia has come under increased attack from Iran-allied Houthi rebels from Yemen.
The trip is the first official visit to Tehran by the Saudi defense minister, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in over a year and comes against the backdrop of an escalation in the civil war in Yemen, in which Riyadh and Tehran support opposing sides. Iran-allied Houthi forces have fired missiles and drones into the kingdom in recent weeks, killing dozens of people and wounding hundreds.
Miriam Braun
Yemen: Houthi rebels report attacks on Saudi oil facilities
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen report attacks on Saudi oil facilities and the airport in the capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed the attacks. Previously, the Saudi-led military coalition reported the destruction of two ballistic missile launch pads in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. A rocket was fired at Riyadh from one of the ramps, but the alliance said it was intercepted.
Miriam Braun
Jordan: Three suspects arrested after church attack
After the deadly attack on a church in Jordan on Friday, security forces have arrested three suspects, according to a state television report. According to security authorities, the men hid in an abandoned house and opened fire on the officers. They returned the shots and arrested the injured suspects. Nine people were killed and 40 others were injured in the armed attack on a funeral ceremony in Karak province.
Miriam Braun
Research Institute: Record high in attacks on ships in Strait of Hormuz
The number of attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters reached a record high in October, according to a US research institute. 28 attacks were recorded this month. According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, there have been 113 incidents since the US and Israel's war with Iran began at the end of February. According to calculations by the Reuters news agency based on data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), more than 30 supertankers were damaged. This corresponds to around 3.5 percent of the global fleet.
Miriam Braun
Saudi Arabia: Houthi rocket attack on Riyadh repelled
The Saudi-led military coalition says it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The alliance said the projectile was fired at the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Julius Stockheim
According to the foreign minister, threats do not dissuade Iran from its course
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has ruled out his country giving in to new threats of war. “Today there is talk of war again, but I am thinking about the time after the war,” he told diplomats in Tehran on Sunday. The Islamic Republic will stick to its policy regardless of whether there is war or not.
Araghchi warned the US against resuming attacks
