War, latest news. Houthis capture an island in the southern Red Sea. Saudi Arabia: oil production at its lowest level since 1990

According to a Yemeni military source, in addition to Mocha, the Houthis have captured the island of Zuqar, in the southern Red Sea, “following missile strikes and a ground assault carried out with the aid of boats carrying fighters”. Some witnesses reported seeing rebel forces entering Mocha, 70 kilometres north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, chanting ‘Death to America, death to Israel’.

Iran has ordered the temporary suspension of the 10 per cent surcharge on freight transport levied on foreign vessels carrying energy products – oil, gas and liquid petroleum products – to or from Iran. This was reported by Fars, the semi-official news agency.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured the Yemeni city of Mocha, on the Red Sea. This is reported by international media, citing Reuters, which quotes three Yemeni government sources. The Houthis are thus moving closer to controlling the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes for merchant vessels. For days now, extremely violent clashes have been taking place between the Yemeni military and pro-Iranian rebels, who are contributing to rising tensions in the Gulf by launching rocket attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.

In the last few hours, Saudi Arabia has carried out around 40 air raids in Yemen. This was stated by the Iran-backed Houthis, following fresh rebel attacks against the Kingdom. “The Saudi enemy’s air force has carried out around 40 air strikes in the last few hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeida, Al-Jawf and Marib,” reported Saba, the rebels’ news agency.

US President Donald Trump has threatened further attacks against Iran, specifically naming Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified site near the Natanz uranium enrichment plant.

“We’ve noticed some activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to try to be clever, because we’ll have to hit them very hard,” said Trump during a speech at the Republican convention ahead of the mid-term elections.

Key White House advisers, including Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could drag on for the remainder of his term, until January 2029. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials who say that the possibility of a protracted war was discussed with Trump in the Oval Office and the Situation Room. This prospect contrasts with the President’s public statements; in recent hours, he has assured that the conflict will end ‘immediately’ after the November mid-term elections, because Tehran ‘cannot hold out much longer’. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of a prolonged commitment in the Middle East: some missions have already been extended to 2027, and no date has been set for the withdrawal of certain air defence units, which form part of the approximately 50,000 US military personnel deployed in the region. Italia is also involved in the deployment: the Air Force is rotating its squadrons, with Air National Guard F-16s set to replace aircraft returning to the US base at Aviano. According to US officials, a military presence and naval blockade prolonged for years would also risk diverting resources from US forces deployed in Europe and Asia.

The Houthis in Yemen have launched ballistic missile and drone attacks against the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan. This was announced by the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Turki al-Maliki, who accused “the Houthi terrorist militia” of continuing “its brutal attacks against the Kingdom’s infrastructure and national resources”. The coalition will respond to the attacks “in a responsible manner” to protect Saudi sovereignty, infrastructure and the civilian population, al-Maliki added, specifying that any response will be carried out within the framework of the right to self-defence and in accordance with international law.

Several areas of Sirik, a town on Iran’s southern coast, have been hit by projectiles. This has been reported by Iranian state media.

The Fars news agency reported separately that there had been several explosions in Sirik and on the island of Qeshm.

Several US military aircraft were damaged in the overnight attacks on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan. This was reported by CBS journalist Jennifer Jacobs, citing informed sources.

According to CBS News, around eight F-15 fighter jets sustained minor damage and have already returned to service.