Houthi rebels say at least 44 people killed in air strike near Yemeni capital

The death toll from air strikes near Yemen’s capital has increased to 44, most of them women and children, health authorities from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said overnight.

The strikes on the village of Al-Shariya, east of Sanaa, wounded 40 others, including eight children and nine women, said Anees al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry. The dead included 21 children and 10 women, he said, making the strikes one of the deadliest attacks in the latest bout of violence in Yemen’s year-long civil war.

Al-Asbahi said rescue teams were still searching the area for missing people, raising fears that the death toll could rise.

He blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes, which came amid a major escalation in fighting between the Iran-backed rebels and the kingdom that has killed hundreds of people in Yemen and dozens in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia says east-west pipeline targeted in Medina region

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said an attack on Monday in the Medina region caused a “limited fire” that was quickly extinguished. Operations were not affected and there were no casualties, the ministry said. It did not identify who was behind the attack.

The Houthis, who have repeatedly targeted Saudi infrastructure and exchanged attacks with the kingdom in recent months, did not immediately comment.

The incident came a day after falling debris from intercepted missiles damaged several floors of a Saudi Aramco office tower in Riyadh’s financial district. The Houthis subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack on the capital.

Syrian foreign minister denies plans to send fighters to Yemen

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said on Monday that his country has not deployed forces to Yemen to fight the Houthi rebels and has no “immediate plan to do so”.

Associated Press on reported Sunday that Syria is preparing to send an initial group of 600 special forces fighters to Saudi Arabia, where they would be deployed on the country’s border with Yemen. Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, al-Shibani did not directly address the reports of plans to send fighters to Saudi Arabia but said “any military operation outside our borders would certainly be announced and discussed publicly. It would not be carried out in secret.”

Israel deems Dubai flight incident a ‘hostile act’

Israeli passengers who were aboard a Flydubai flight last month when the co-pilot attacked the captain in what prosecutors say was an attempt to crash the plane will be considered victims of a hostile incident, the Israeli Defence Ministry said on Monday.

The finding will affect the ability of passengers to seek financial compensation and coverage for psychological treatment.

The Flydubai passengers described fearing for their lives as the plane plummeted during the attack and a handful of Israelis aboard pulled the co-pilot from the cockpit, pinning him to the ground. Two reserve pilots took control and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Iran’s foreign ministry dismisses Rubio comments

Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday dismissed remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on Sunday that Iranian demands for ending the war had sometimes been “outrageous and ridiculous”.

At a briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei responded that US strikes during talks in June 2025 and February this year had been “illogical and ridiculous”, not Iran’s demands.

On Sunday, Rubio said US President Donald Trump preferred a diplomatic solution but “Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic”.

Iran’s demands, which Baghaei said remain “on the table,” include an end to the US blockade of Iran’s ports, the lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, compensation for war damage and an end to hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

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Houthi attack on Saudi airport kills 12, injures hundreds

Trump to meet Qatari prime minister

Trump is scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the White House on Monday, according to his official schedule.

Qatar has helped mediate efforts to end the war between the US and Iran.

Turkey’s leader speaks out against fresh attacks on Iran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists on a return flight from Azerbaijan late on Sunday that he had discussed his concerns with Trump.

“We do not want a new wave of attacks to be launched against Iran, nor do we wish to see our region dragged into further instability,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are now seeing a shift in a negative direction. We are doing everything in our power to prevent this.”

Iraqi prime minister delivered message from Trump to Iran

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi travelled to Iran on Saturday to deliver a message from Trump regarding efforts to contain tensions and prevent the region from sliding into war, two Iraqi officials with knowledge of the trip said.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.

The Iraqi officials said that Iran remained firm in its position and insisted it would make no concessions in the negotiations.