Yemen port attack kills 11 as Iran says Hormuz talks in 'final stages'

Today’s live blog covered major developments across the region, including the Houthi attack on Yemen’s al-Makha port, which killed at least 11 people, and Iran’s announcement that talks with Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz had reached the “final stages”.

Iran’s ground forces commander also warned US troops against entering Iranian territory, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point Gaza plan and said there would be no military withdrawal until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed.

Elsewhere, Lebanon arrested former Syrian army officer Adel Issa and began examining a possible extradition request from Damascus. Syria and Russia reached an agreement on the future of Moscow’s facilities at Hmeimim and Tartus, while Oman’s Sultan concluded a visit to Qatar amid ongoing regional diplomacy.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has concluded a state visit to Doha, where he held talks with Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to “support and enhance them across various levels, in addition to exchanging views on a number of issues of mutual interest”, according to a statement from the Qatari government.

The visit comes as Oman negotiates with Iran on a joint framework for managing the Strait of Hormuz. The proposed arrangement is expected to pave the way for broader re-engagement between Tehran and Washington.

Qatar has also played a mediating role in peace talks between Iran and the United States.

Yemen’s government has condemned what it described as a “terrorist attack” by Houthi forces on al-Makha port in Taiz governorate, according to a statement carried by the Saba news agency.

The government said the attack was part of a “systematic approach” by the Houthis to target ports and vital infrastructure while accusing the authorities of imposing a siege on Yemen. It described this as “the undeniable irony”, pointing to the Houthis’ own attacks on civilian and economic facilities.

It called the strike “an act of war against the state, society and the national economy”, and accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons and expertise. The government warned that the threat now extends to “regional and international security” as well as shipping in the Red Sea.

It said it would “fully assume its national and constitutional responsibilities” to safeguard ports and other vital facilities, while urging the international community to move “beyond statements of condemnation” and take steps to cut off Houthi funding and weapons.

Israeli settlers carried out raids in several areas of the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, including Deir Jarir village in the east, Beitillu town in the northwest and areas near the illegal Kramilo settlement.

Settlers also cut down dozens of fruit trees on a Palestinian farmer’s land in Khirbet Farasin, western Jenin.

Israeli worshippers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under police escort, with around 133 Israelis entering the site to perform rituals in its courtyards.

Israeli ministers and members of parliament attended an event marking the establishment of a new illegal Israeli settlement in Arrabeh, southwest of Jenin. The settlement is set to be named Emek Dotan.

Hamas said in a statement published on Telegram that it remains committed to the 15-point plan for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

The Palestinian group said the immediate priority is to fully implement the agreement, including a complete halt to attacks on Palestinians, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the opening of border crossings, and the delivery of aid, shelter supplies and reconstruction materials.

It called on mediators and guarantor countries to “assume their responsibilities” and prevent any “violations or breaches” that could derail the process.

Hamas said it would continue engaging “positively and responsibly” to ensure the agreement is implemented, “thereby ensuring an end to the suffering of our people”.

Here are the key developments from today’s live blog:

• Houthis said they targeted Saudi forces and weapons depots in al-Makha with missiles and drones
• Iran said a framework for reopening Hormuz was nearing completion, but tied reopening the strait to US conditions
• Iran’s ground forces commander warned US troops against entering Iranian territory
• Israel’s Netanyahu rejected Trump’s Gaza plan and said there would be no military withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed
• Lebanon arrested former Syrian army officer Adel Issa, wanted by Damascus over alleged war crimes
• Houthis claimed a drone attack on a Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan
• Israel warned its citizens in Greece ahead of planned pro-Palestinian protests
• An Israeli reservist faces a criminal complaint in Vietnam over alleged actions in Gaza and Lebanon

Iran’s ground forces commander, Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi, has warned US troops against entering Iranian territory.

“If any US military personnel set foot in Iran, we will cut them off,” he said, according to state media.

“We will respond to any enemy action with a firm and deterrent response,” Jahanshahi added.

He said Iran’s ground forces remained fully prepared for combat, monitoring military movements and potential threats while maintaining security along the country’s borders.

The framework agreement reached between Oman and Iran to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz could mark a very meaningful diplomatic breakthrough.

By establishing a mechanism for commercial vessels to transit the waterway through separate Iranian- and Omani-managed shipping lanes, the proposal offers a potential pathway to restoring maritime traffic through a critical chokepoint that carries around a fifth of globally traded oil.

The significance of the arrangement extends well beyond shipping. But whether it is ever fully implemented, let alone successful, will largely depend on the trajectory of US-Iran relations.

Under this framework, commercial vessels would enter the Gulf through a northern shipping lane managed by Iran and exit via a southern route overseen by Oman, replacing months of uncertainty with a coordinated albeit temporary traffic management system.

Iranian officials say the agreement does not include transit tolls. This is a notable concession given Tehran’s previous calls to charge vessels for safe passage.

he arrangement receives the backing of Oman’s fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and is expected to involve the International Maritime Organisation in its formal rollout.

Yet, Washington has insisted it will only support a deal that preserves unrestricted passage through the waterway.

That leaves key operational and political questions unresolved, including how the routes will be managed in practice and whether the agreement can survive the wider confrontation between the US-Israeli alliance and the Islamic Republic.

Lebanese authorities have arrested retired Syrian Major General Adel Issa, the former commander of the Syrian regime’s 17th Division, after he visited the Syrian embassy in Beirut.

Issa, 67, was detained under an arrest warrant issued in absentia by the Syrian judiciary, which accuses him of murder and crimes against humanity during his military service.

A Lebanese judicial source said Issa, who had been living in Lebanon for several months, went to the Syrian embassy on Friday to complete an administrative procedure. Lebanese security forces arrested him after discovering that he was wanted by Syrian authorities.

Lebanon’s Cassation Public Prosecutor, Judge Ahmed Rami al-Hajj, has asked his Syrian counterpart to provide Issa’s judicial file, including the charges and available evidence, ahead of considering a possible extradition request.

Issa was transferred to Beirut’s Palace of Justice for preliminary questioning. He reportedly acknowledged leaving Syria illegally after learning that Syrian security services were investigating him, but denied involvement in crimes or the killing of civilians during his military service.

He admitted providing “support to the Syrian intelligence service in carrying out some security tasks”, but argued that this did not amount to participation in crimes.

Strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday killed at least 11 people, a medical source in the Yemeni port city of Mokha told AFP news agency, after an earlier drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast.

A medical source in Mokha, held by Yemen's internationally recognised, Aden-based government, said three civilians and eight military personnel had been killed in the Houthi attacks.

A further 32 individuals were wounded, six of them civilians, the source added, explaining all the civilian casualties had been a result of strikes on Mokha's port.

Two military sources with the government forces earlier confirmed at least eight troops had been killed in the strikes and more than 40 personnel were injured.

The Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted "Saudi enemy" troops and equipment in the area with missiles and drones.

The US must pressure Israel to accept the next phase of the Gaza plan, a Hamas official told AFP news agency on Sunday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he rejected the US-backed agreement.

"We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons," Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP.

Seven people were killed in a strike on Yemen’s Mocha port, according to a spokesperson for the country’s military.

More details on the attack to come.

Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday killed at least four troops from the internationally-recognised government forces and injured 20 more personnel, AFP news agency reported- citing , two military sources.

The initial toll came from strikes on the Yemeni city of Mokha and surrounding areas, as well as Khokha, south of the port city of Hodeida, the sources said on condition of anonymity, after the Houthis announced they had targeted military forces and equipment on the Red Sea coast.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a Gaza plan hailed by US President Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout until Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.

"Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, referring to the Israeli military.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday said they had targeted "Saudi enemy" troops and equipment on Yemen's Red Sea coast city of Mokha after residents there said they heard blasts.

The group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Houthis had "carried out a large-scale and precise military operation targeting Saudi enemy troop concentrations and weapons depots in the Mokha area," using "a large number of ballistic missiles and drones".

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued a warning to Israeli citizens in Greece ahead of large-scale pro-Palestinian protests planned across the country on Sunday over Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has lodged a criminal complaint with Vietnamese authorities against Israeli reservist Matan Jerafi, who is currently on holiday in Vietnam.

HRF said in a statement that Jerafi is the chief executive of Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu and serves with the 920th Infantry Battalion of the 769th Brigade.

The organisation said evidence suggests Jerafi was involved in the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza between December 2023 and January 2024, and in Lebanon between October and November 2024.

HRF also cited comments Jerafi made in February 2024, in which he described Gaza’s civilians as “part of Hamas” and said there should be no “mercy” for them.

Natacha Bracq, HRF’s head of litigation, said: “Vietnam, as a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, has a clear legal obligation to investigate HRF’s serious allegations. It is unacceptable that Matan Jerafi is vacationing among the Vietnamese people after having actively participated in and publicly incited the genocide of Palestinians.”

🚨🇻🇳 The #HindRajabFoundation has filed a criminal complaint in Vietnam against Israeli reservist and CEO of the Israeli Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu, Matan Jerafi. Jerafi documented his deployment to Gaza and southern Lebanon, and weaponized his public platform to actively advocate for… pic.twitter.com/GVXS7QBUP3

— The Hind Rajab Foundation (@HindRFoundation) August 8, 2026

Yemen’s al-Makha port on the Red Sea has been targeted with missiles and drones, according to Yemen Today TV and state-run Saba TV.

The port, in southwestern Yemen, is controlled by the internationally recognised government.

The port director told Yemen Today that several missiles struck civilian areas within the facility.

The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israeli Army Radio has reported that reconstruction work in southern Gaza, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, will be carried out east of Rafah, within the “Yellow Line”.

The directive was reportedly issued two weeks ago.

According to the report, the project aims to create housing for Palestinians outside Hamas’s control and under the supervision of the multinational force proposed by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.

However, caravans and mobile buildings are not expected to be permitted before November, after Israel’s scheduled elections.

Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev said reconstruction could begin in any part of Gaza where disarmament has taken place.

“If you want Gaza to be rehabilitated, in any area cleared of weapons it is possible to start the process,” she said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States accepts all of Tehran's demands.

"Our current strategy is to maintain this strait until the enemy accepts all our conditions," said Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi, as quoted by state TV, adding that "the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway".

Saudi Arabia has welcomed a UN Security Council statement condemning Houthi missile attacks on the kingdom and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The Foreign Ministry urged the international community to take a firm stance against actions threatening regional security, maritime navigation and global trade, and undermining peace efforts in Yemen.

The council also condemned unauthorised aircraft landings at Sanaa and Hodeidah airports and reiterated that Resolution 2216 prohibits the supply or transfer of arms to sanctioned groups, including the Houthis.

Kuwait also welcomed the UN statement, reaffirming its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government and UN-led peace efforts.

The leader of Iraq’s Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba militia has vowed to retaliate against joint US-Saudi strikes last month that targeted sites belonging to the country’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), of which the group is a member.

In a statement, Akram al-Kaabi said diplomatic efforts with Saudi Arabia were “futile”, arguing that Riyadh must be disciplined “through a suitable military response” in retaliation for the attacks on the PMF.

“Missiles can only be countered with missiles, and fire can only be met with fire,” he said.

Saudi Arabia and US Central Command said last month that the joint air strikes targeted Iran-backed militias in Iraq that they blamed for attacks on US troops and Saudi energy infrastructure.

The PMF, a paramilitary organisation, said at least 20 of its members had been killed and 32 wounded in the strikes.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they had attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery on Sunday, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan.

The Saudi energy ministry said a fire had broken out at the refinery that was later extinguished, without saying what caused the fire.

It said the relevant authorities were completing procedures to deal with the incident, which processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

No injuries were reported, it added.

The Houthis targeted the refinery with a drone, military spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on X. They had struck Aramco sites before in Jazan and Yanbu on the Red Sea.

A defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey is not aimed against Iran or any other country, Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday, describing the pact as an important step toward regional stability.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in the Saudi holy city of Mecca on Friday. It states that an attack on one would be considered an attack on all three.

The “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It deepens cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.

In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted that the three countries do not view any particular state as an adversary unless they take hostile action against them.

“We don’t have anything written down — nothing we’ve signed — that defines a common threat,” Fidan said. “Any country that does not attack us is not a target for us.”

The Turkish minister described the agreement's clause on mutual defense as being “technically the same” as NATO's Article 5, under which an attack on one of the 32 members is considered an attack on them all.

Asked how the mechanism would work, Fidan said a member would need to formally request help and that the other two countries’ assistance could range from intelligence sharing to logistic support — or the deployment of military units depending on the threat.

“These are multi‑layered matters that vary according to the scale of the threat,” Fidan said. “This is the perspective we have set out so far in our work.”

The Turkish minister said other nations — which he did not name — have expressed interest in joining the agreement, adding that he expects Egypt, which he described as a “natural partner,” to participate “at the next stage.”

Under the deal, the foreign and defense ministers of the three countries, along with their military chiefs, would hold regular committee meetings. The three countries would also establish a secretariat, to be based in Saudi Arabia, Fidan said.

Tensions in the Middle East are escalating as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claim to have attacked an oil facility belonging to Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

The development comes as Iran issues demands linked to the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route.

Follow The New Arab's live blog for the latest updates, statements and developments as they emerge.