Yemeni and Austrian UN envoys discuss security crisis and UN cooperation
Yemen’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah al-Saadi, has discussed the security and humanitarian situation in the country following attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels with Austria’s UN envoy, Gregor Kossler, according to the official Saba News Agency.
Saba reported that the meeting focused on the repercussions of the ongoing violence, as well as ways to enhance diplomatic cooperation between Vienna and Aden during Austria’s upcoming tenure on the UN Security Council.
Saudi coalition intercepts drone over eastern region
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a drone in the country’s eastern region, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
A spokesperson for the coalition said the drone was brought down in a post on X.
Israeli forces raid occupied West Bank towns, detain dozens of Palestinians
Israeli forces have raided at least 13 towns in the northern occupied West Bank, detaining dozens of Palestinians, according to our colleagues on the ground.
The military raids targeted several cities and towns, including Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya.
In Nablus, Israeli forces carried out arrests and raided Palestinian homes in the nearby villages of Jalud and Qaryut. Arrests were also reported in Arrabeh and Burqin, near Jenin, while Israeli forces entered Tubas and the nearby town of Aqqaba.
In the southern occupied West Bank, Israeli forces ordered hundreds of Palestinian families to forcibly evacuate their homes in the Ein Deir Bahha area of Hebron and its surroundings.
Israeli troops also surrounded the home of one of the suspects in the shooting attack that killed two Israeli soldiers in Hebron, while carrying out raids in the city’s al-Jalda neighbourhood.
Further east, Israeli forces entered Jericho and the nearby Aqabat Jabr refugee camp.
West Bank on lockdown as Palestinians fear ‘collective punishment’
With elections days away on October 27, Israel has announced the full closure of the occupied West Bank, with 1,000 military checkpoints expected to shut off all access to the city of Ramallah.
In the first Israeli action following a shooting attack on a military checkpoint in Hebron, earthmovers demolished a three-storey building in the city, giving Palestinian families just five minutes to collect their belongings and leave.
Israeli forces also raided the homes of the suspected attackers, detaining several of their relatives.
Top Israeli officials say they will apply the “Jenin model” in Hebron, referencing the widespread destruction and forced displacement wrought there since January 2025.
It is part of what Israeli officials describe as massive retribution for the attack. Military chief Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces will “act forcefully, pursue and reach all those involved in the attack” after visiting the scene of Friday’s shooting near Hebron.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also said that the planned military operation will be unlike any other since Israel seized control of the territory, alongside East Jerusalem and Gaza, in 1967.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to restrict Palestinians from travelling on West Bank roads, declaring that Israeli lives “are a million times more important than freedom of movement” for Palestinians.
Collective punishment is a hallmark of Israel’s illegal occupation, but following the attack in Hebron, Palestinians fear it may reach unprecedented levels.
A recap of recent developments
- The Israeli military says it has launched a “counterterrorism” operation in the Hebron area in response to Friday morning’s shooting attack that left two soldiers dead.
- US President Donald Trump says Washington “may do another little Epic Fury” against Iran, referring to the US military operation, while urging Tehran to agree to American demands to end the war.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow next week, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Global crude prices continue to climb, with Brent benchmark hitting $117.30 a barrel to build on four-year highs amid growing fears of renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
- Yemeni forces say they have conducted nearly 1,400 attacks on Houthi positions over the past 24 hours, claiming to have “neutralised” 620 fighters.
- The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan say that the “Israeli occupation constitutes the fundamental source of instability in the region and beyond” while urging the immediate realisation of a two-state solution, according to a joint statement issued after their R4 meeting in Istanbul.
Welcome to our coverage
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Stay with us for the latest news and analyses on the conflict and its fallout across the Middle East, including in Yemen.
