Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces in Yemen occurred overnight Thursday as renewed violence continues to spread and fuel growing fears that the country’s civil war could reignite and create a new front in the Middle East war. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and across the Middle East. You can find full coverage here. Yemeni soldier killed in clashes with Iran-backed Houthi rebels At least one government soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in clashes between Houthi rebels and the army in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told The Associated Press. The fighting came as part of a series of recent Houthi attacks on government-held areas across the country. Dozens of government troops have been killed in attacks since last week, the Yemeni military said. Houthi forces for the second time in as many days used drones to attack an Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency reported Thursday, citing an unnamed military source. Saudi officials did not immediately comment on the attack on the refinery in the city of Jazan. The Houthis had previously fired drones last weekend at the refinery, where the Saudi Energy Ministry reported a fire but no casualties. The Houthis have been attacking government-controlled areas with drones and missiles, saying they have been targeting military forces and warehouses. They have also been attacking oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea. Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, told the U.N. Security Council in a video briefing Thursday that Yemen is at greater risk of returning to full-scale conflict than at any time since a 2022 truce ended nearly a decade of war. Yemen faces a “catastrophe” from rising hunger and crumbling health services amid fighting, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said. He said 6 million people in Yemen face emergency levels of food insecurity bordering on famine, “the highest number globally.” Iran and Oman work to clean up oil spills off their coasts Oil spills spreading off the coasts of Iran and Oman are raising concerns about environmental damage as oil shipments have come under attack in Iran’s war with the United States and Israel. Iran said Thursday it is working to clean up an oil spill off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Images distributed by Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency showed oil contaminating the island’s beaches. While Iran has not said what caused the spill, TankerTrackers.com says it appears to have started with an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier off Oman. Oman is responding to another spill in the Arabian Sea, coming from an oil tanker stranded off its southern coast. The tanker Caroline Bezengi, a sanctioned vessel believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” has been grounded since it reported an explosion in June. Neither party has claimed responsibility and the cause is unknown. A British maritime risk and response company said Thursday it had been hired to rescue the tanker and stop the oil leak off Oman. Oil from the ship has been spreading for weeks, reaching shores hundreds of kilometers (miles) north of the ship. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. Israeli strikes kill two people, including a police chief, in Gaza Israeli strikes killed at least two people in the Gaza Strip on Thursday and wounded several more, health officials said. Jamal Abu Kamil, police chief of Gaza governorate, died when his vehicle was attacked southwest of Gaza City, according to the territory’s Interior Ministry and Shifa Hospital, where his body was taken along with a person wounded in the same attack. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that attack. Another Israeli attack killed one man and wounded another person in Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, where both were taken. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas company commander in Khan Younis who “planned to carry out terrorist attacks” against troops. US ambassador to Israel condemns settler siege of Palestinian homes The US ambassador to Israel condemned the Israeli settler siege of a Palestinian-American family’s home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, calling it a “horrible act of terror.” Qusra, throwing stones and preventing the occupants from leaving despite the shortage of supplies. On Thursday morning, Qusai Abu Rida, the brother of the Palestinian-American homeowner who had taken refuge in the house with his own teenage son to defend it, said Israel’s military moved them to another house but they cannot yet leave the area. —Click here for complete AP coverage of events in the West Bank.
