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Militants fired missiles at Greek-owned ship, says US military, in strike that raises questions over who Houthis are trying to targetIran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out their first attack in the Red Sea in six days, firing at an Iran-bound grain cargo ship, the US military has said, in a strike that raises questions about the group’s targeting.The lull in attacks on...

Joint operation to further disable militias follows attacks on US and international interests amid war in GazaThe United States and Britain struck at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in another wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have attacked US and international interests in response to the Israel-Hamas war.Ships and fighter jets on Saturday launched strikes against the...

Defence secretary says third joint UK-US assault on Iran-backed group is to protect lives and ‘preserve freedom of navigation’The UK has joined the US for a third time in conducting a wave of airstrikes on Iran-linked Houthi targets in Yemen.The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, said the fresh assaults were “not an escalation”, but instead were designed to “protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of...

The US military says it also hit up to 10 unmanned drones that were preparing to launchIsraeli media reports that Hamas representatives are again conducting talks in Cairo on the outlines of a possible hostage deal, with Egypt and Qatar mediating.Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that two Palestinian men have been shot and wounded overnight by Israeli security forces during a raid on the...

Seals from USS Lewis Puller went overboard during mission off coast of Somalia to seize Iranian weapons, according to US militarySee all our Middle East coverageTwo US Navy Seals who went missing during an operation to seize Iranian weapons bound for Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been declared dead after a 10-day search failed to locate them, the US military has said.US Central Command (Centcom)...

As pockets of war multiply across region so does the risk that conflict becomes more contagious and intractableOn Thursday morning the Iranian news website Entekhab ran, without irony, the headline: “Taliban call on Pakistan and Iran to show restraint and urge both sides to settle differences through diplomatic means”.If proof were needed that a new, more dangerous world order may be upon us, the...

Pakistani strike comes day after deadly Iranian attack on Balochistan; US military in Red Sea says it struck 14 Houthi missiles that were ready to be firedSee all our coverage of the Middle East crisisWhile Iran has taken low-level action against Balochistan in the past, Tuesday’s strikes were unusually heavy-handed and Thursday’s retaliatory bombings were the first time that Pakistan has responded with comprehensive...

Israeli PM says it is ‘possible and necessary to continue until victory’ in televised press conference, days after South Africa launches genocide case against Israel in The HagueRead all our coverage of the Middle East crisisThe “lights are absolutely flashing red” on the global dashboard, the UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, warned as he said it was hard to think of a time when...

After second night of US-UK strikes in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthis, fears of wider regional conflict growJoe Biden said on Saturday that the United States has sent a private message to Tehran that “we’re confident we’re well-prepared”, following a second night of US and British strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn on Saturday morning, on his...

In today’s newsletter: After events during the last few days, a nightmare scenario including Iran and the US is becoming ever more likely• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. So far, the war in Gaza prompted by Hamas’s 7 October attack has not precipitated the nightmare scenario – a wider Middle East conflict drawing in the US and Iran. But...

Iran security chief praises ‘brave actions’ of Houthi rebels who have targeted Israeli-linked vessels in shipping laneIsrael-Gaza war – live updatesIran has rejected US and British calls to end its support for attacks by Houthi rebels on Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea and claimed the accusations were baseless interference as its navy dispatched a destroyer to the vital shipping lane.The Alborz destroyer, operating...