
The capture of Mokha brings the Iran-backed group closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandab strait.
Yemen's Houthi movement has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, bringing them closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandab strait.
AI-generated summary
The Houthi movement launched an offensive in the south-western coastal region of Yemen, escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia.
Yemen's Houthi movement has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, military sources say.
The capture of Mokha would bring the Iran-backed group closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key shipping route about 75km (46 miles) to the south that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis launched an offensive in the south-western coastal region a week ago.
At the same time, there has been a significant escalation in the Houthis' conflict with neighbouring Saudi Arabia that has contributed to a surge in global oil prices.

Algeria has decided to sever diplomatic relations with the UAE after exhausting all means to preserve them, as stated by the Algerian Foreign Ministry. The UAE expressed hope that the decision is temporary and that fraternal relations between peoples will be preserved.

Canada has pledged C$350 million (US$254 million) in military aid to Ukraine for the procurement of air defence interceptors, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The aid aims to replenish Kyiv’s critically low stocks of US-made Patriot missiles amid intensified Russian aerial attacks on civilian targets.

Twenty-five years after al Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, 20% of Americans still believe their government was behind the attacks, according to a YouGov 2023 survey, as the cognitive vacuum and fear of losing control play a role in spreading conspiracy theories often targeting groups like Jews without evidence, spread via social media that create a'Rabbit Valley' of misleading information.
The documentary 'NAZA', prepared by The Guardian and directed by Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was screened at the Venice International Film Festival. The documentary explains the secret systems used by the Israeli army to track and attack civilian targets in Gaza, through interviews with members of the army. Participants stated that the system targeted low-ranking insurgents, location information was collected by hacking mobile phones, and conversations with families before the attack were listened to. There were also soldiers who testified about the deliberate burning of shelters and those killed during food distribution. Producer Abraham stated that the speakers worked in some secret intelligence unit and were directly affiliated with Netanyahu, and noted that one of them said his duty was to 'disturb the peace'. Rather than individual crimes, the documentary deals with the system, orders, policies and discourse that make these practices possible.

Russian blogger Anastasia Fedko chased away a bear while hiking in the mountains in the US after she and her lover fell behind the group. The bear chased them for about half an hour until they caught up with their companions. Earlier, a hungry bear burst into the live broadcast of streamers FaZe Adapt and Maya Higa in Katmai National Park in Alaska, which scared bloggers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Canada to hold talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney on air defense and winter resilience. Meanwhile, cross-border aerial attacks and drone strikes intensified across Ukraine and Russia.