Yemen’s Houthis tighten siege of key city Taiz, military sources tell AFP
Houthi fighters have tightened their siege of the Yemeni city of Taiz, where fighting has killed more than 60 people in the past 24 hours, military sources from both sides told AFP.
The Houthis have blocked all exits and carried out several attacks overnight, said a military source loyal to the Saudi-backed government that holds the city.
Taiz city is inland from the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait, where the Houthis captured swathes of territory in a rapid offensive last month.
The violence killed 22 members of the pro-government forces, the source said.
The Houthis lost at least 40 fighters, according to military sources from the Iran-backed movement, who said they were sending reinforcements.
Saudi-led coalition says it’s dealing with drones and missiles heading towards kingdom
The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis said it was dealing with drones and missiles heading towards Saudi Arabia.
Iran says it is ‘deeply concerned’ over escalation between Houthis and Saudi Arabia
Iran said it was “deeply concerned” by escalating attacks between Yemen’s Tehran-allied Houthis and Saudi Arabia after 14 people died in two days of strikes on Riyadh’s airport.
“We are deeply concerned about the developments taking place in the Arabian Peninsula,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference, adding that Tehran was ready “to help facilitate dialogue between the parties”.
EU adopts nearly 1,600 new sanctions listings targeting Russian war industry, Kallas says
The European Union on Monday formally added almost 1,600 new individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war. Europe is again showing a united front. More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Zelensky says Ukraine ‘will respond’ if Russia does not agree to Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country would retaliate if Moscow did not agree to the “energy ceasefire” that US President Donald Trump unilaterally announced on Sunday.
“If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond,” Zelensky said in a video address to a security forum in Warsaw. “If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people.”
Iran still reviewing US positions on its diplomatic proposal, foreign ministry says
Iran is still reviewing a US response to its proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington via intermediaries when the review is over, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Baghaei also told a press conference that Iran continues to exchange messages via the intermediaries.
Riyadh airport extends suspension of operations, civil aviation authority says
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation body extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh’s international airport Monday following a series of deadly Houthi attacks.
“The General Authority of Civil Aviation has announced the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in order to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the facilities and their operational readiness,” the authority said in a statement.
It did not specify when operations would resume.
China says it ‘condemns’ Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
China condemned recent attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, expressing “serious concern” about the intensifying conflict between Riyadh and the Yemeni group.
“China condemns the attacks that caused heavy casualties and expresses serious concern over the intensification of the conflict,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing.
Saudi energy minister says kingdom must make ‘serious’ response to Houthi attacks
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the events of recent weeks were serious and the kingdom’s response must be “equally serious”.
Yemen’s Houthis have stepped up their attacks on the kingdom, killing more than 15 people in two weeks.
UAE adviser Gargash urges revival of joint ties on Gulf security, defence
Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called on Gulf countries to strengthen their security cooperation, saying that targeting Saudi Arabia undermined the security of all Gulf states.
“It is necessary to revive joint action by the Gulf countries, particularly in security and defence, and to strengthen the collective security system,” Gargash wrote on X.
Neglect of collective Gulf security had “emboldened others” to overreach against regional states, he added.
