Yemenis stand at the site of a suspected Saudi airstrike carried out overnight against a foam factory in the al-Rawda neighborhood of Sanaa, on Oct. 9, 2026. (Credit: Mohammed Huwais/AFP)
Today's top story
Iran rules out negotiations with the United States "under pressure." Talks with the United States can only succeed if they are held without "pressure or threat," Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Friday during a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Turkmenistan, as efforts to end the war in the Middle East remain stalled. A few hours later, the Revolutionary Guards announced they had struck a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, the NV Sunshine, which they said was attempting to take an "illegal route" south of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has claimed control over this strategic passage since the start of the conflict.
Why it matters
These new diplomatic and military developments come as talks aimed at ending the war in the Middle East remain at a standstill, and just days after media reports suggested possible new U.S. strikes before the midterm elections.
The Iranian leader had met Thursday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who offered his help in addressing the war in the Middle East. "We are ready to do everything in our power to help resolve this situation," the Russian leader said. According to him, Iran is making "real efforts to end the conflict" launched at the end of February by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump said the same day that he was ruling out attacking Iran before the Nov. 3 legislative elections in the United States, assuring that Washington had "productive discussions" with Tehran. This clarification came after oil prices soared following media reports of new U.S. strikes before the "midterms."
What to watch
Yemen launches offensive to retake Bab al-Mandeb from the Houthis. Yemeni government forces, backed by Riyadh and its air force, on Friday launched a "large-scale operation" to regain control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea from the pro-Iranian Houthis, according to a military source cited by AFP. The fighting is described as "violent" with "limited" advances, the source said. For his part, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, wrote on X that the coalition had driven out the last Houthi fighters from the maritime corridor, but provided no evidence to support his claim. The strait reportedly fell under Houthi control at the beginning of September.
Meanwhile, Lebanon condemns Houthi strikes against Saudi airports. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry, led by Joe Rajji (Lebanese Forces), strongly condemned "in the strongest terms, the attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport," in the southwest of the country. Expressing its "categorical rejection of any attack against the kingdom," Lebanese diplomacy stated that "attacking civil and vital infrastructure and endangering the lives of civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international law." Three Saudis were killed Thursday in strikes against Riyadh airport.
In other news
- Israeli strike near a vehicle in northern Bekaa injures six. An Israeli drone targeted a car Friday near Hoch el-Sayyed Ali, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. According to local media, the vehicle was not directly hit. Images sent to our Bekaa correspondent, Sarah Abdallah, show an immobilized 4x4 on the roadside near a crater that appears to have been made by a missile impact. Six people were lightly injured; it was unclear at that stage if they were inside the targeted vehicle. Israeli strikes in Bekaa had become rare in recent months.
- Lebanese Army arrests a drug trafficker and foils an attempt to smuggle explosives on the Syrian border. An armed clash between Lebanese soldiers and a civilian took place in the hills above Ersal, in Bekaa, as the latter tried to smuggle drugs into Syria, according to an army statement. No injuries were reported. The suspect was arrested and about 60 kg of hashish, 35 kg of captagon, and 22 kg of marijuana were seized, along with a pistol and ammunition. In another incident, the army announced it had foiled an attempt to smuggle rockets and about 24 kg of TNT from Syria to Hermel, bound for Lebanon. Meanwhile, French authorities handed over ammunition to the Lebanese Army at the Beirut Port as part of ongoing military cooperation between the two countries. Army commander-in-chief General Rodolph Haykal had visited Cyprus in recent days.
- Lebanon prepares to launch commercial flights from Qleiaat. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar chaired a meeting dedicated to preparations at René Moawad Airport in Qleiaat, northern Lebanon, including security arrangements for the first flights. The day before, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the first commercial flight will depart from this airport on Nov. 15.
- Nawaf Salam links Lebanon's recovery to fighting "ignorance, fanaticism, and isolation." The Prime Minister opened the 67th edition of the Beirut Arab and International Book Fair on Friday, stressing that "the fight for Lebanon's recovery is inseparable from our fight against ignorance, fanaticism, and isolation."
- Gebran Bassil blames the finance ministry for delays at power plants. As management of the electricity sector is under debate, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) defended himself against accusations of burdening the state financially over the construction of the Zouk Mosbeh and Jiyeh plants, currently shut down. He said contract amendments in 2013 were explicitly approved by the Cabinet. According to him, the project was halted and completion delayed due to the finance ministry's refusal to pay amounts due to the contractor, in violation of the state's contractual obligations. The FPM ran the Energy Ministry from 2008 to 2025.
