The Independent
· collected 2026-09-13 · by James C. Reynolds and Namita Singh
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have struck facilities at a military base in Saudi Arabia as the burgeoning conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos.
asserted
conflict → claim → chaos
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” at the southern Sharurah base.
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group → say → base
Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue.
The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait.
Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east.
Separately, a crew member was killed early on Sunday when an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media.
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ship → claim → media
There has been no statement so far from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian vessels to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.
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which → strike → ports
At least two killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, witnesses say
An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least two Palestinians in a vehicle and wounded 13 others in the Gaza Strip, medical staff said.
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staff → kill → Strip
The strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood in western Gaza City, left the vehicle mangled, according to footage circulated on social media.
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strike → leave → media
Local medical staff told Reuters that they urged people to provide information that could help identify the two people who were killed and whose bodies were dismembered by the explosion.
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bodies → tell → explosion
The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hamas militants, without giving further information.
Explained:
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strike → say → information
The US has made progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iran war is far from over
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war → make → Hormuz
In recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran's own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall.
But the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February — intended to last a few weeks — is still far from over, and the stalemate is costly for both sides.
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stalemate → succeed → sides
An agreement reached in June quickly crumbled, with so sign of diplomatic progress since then.
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agreement → reach → progress
Low-level fighting persists, and the U.S. does not seem to have an exit strategy.
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U.S. → persist → strategy
The mounting economic pressure on Iran has yet to stoke an uprising, and if its leaders are backed into a corner, they may opt for military escalation rather than capitulation.
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they → mount → escalation
Their Houthi allies in Yemen have meanwhile stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, helping to push oil prices back up.
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allies → step → prices
Here’s the state of play after nearly seven months:
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state → ’ → months
Houthis claim strike on Saudi military base
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have struck facilities at a military base in Saudi Arabia as the burgeoning conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” at the southern Sharurah base.
Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue.
uncertain
attacks → claim → Yemen
The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait.
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escalation → follow → strait
Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east.
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clashes → hover → east
Report: Hamas 'planned to carry out attacks in European capitals last year'
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Hamas → plan → capitals
Hamas planned to carry out terror attacks in European capitals last year to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel, according to an indictment filed by Germany’s federal prosecutor.
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Hamas → plan → prosecutor
The Palestinian group reportedly intended to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish ‘interests’ in Berlin and Vienna around October 7 2025, according to the indictment, as seen by German broadsheet Die Welt.
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group → intend → Welt
It was said to have been backed by “an international weapons-procurement network” that moved pistols, a rifle and ammunition through Europe.
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that → say → Europe
The plot is claimed to have come undone just days before the attacks were due to be carried out, as German authorities swooped on three suspects in Berlin during the handover of a cache of weapons that prosecutors say were intended for the operation.
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prosecutors → claim → operation
Federal prosecutors in Germany last year said they had arrested men linked to Hamas who were suspected of planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Germany.
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who → say → Germany
Trump says Iran probably behind attack on Saudi Arabia
Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for the aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down its East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom's main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
"I think they are, probably they are," Trump told reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit.
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Iran → say → conduit
The president also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a "good friend."
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he → say → friend
Trump added that Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis had called his administration and indicated they did not want the United States to become directly involved in the conflict.
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States → add → conflict
“There's just one country that they're not too happy with, and we'll get that straightened out," Trump added.
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Trump → be → that
There have been no talks between the United States and Iran to end the conflict since a June agreement that collapsed within weeks.
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that → end → weeks
In a post on X on Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, said: "As long as the American side does not accept all of Iran's conditions, dialogue and negotiation are of no use."
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dialogue → say → use
Iran's foreign ministry announced on Friday that Iran would be attending a meeting with Gulf Arab states in Oman on Monday, at which the future of the Strait of Hormuz would be discussed.
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future → announce → Hormuz
But a senior Iranian official, speaking to Reuters on Saturday, played down the chances of a breakthrough, saying the meeting, called at Oman's initiative, was intended to discuss issues including the strait but was not expected to yield a signed agreement.
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meeting → speak → agreement
Oman has not officially announced the meeting, and other Gulf countries have remained silent.
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countries → announce → meeting
Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend meetings with Iran.
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it → say → Iran
China accused of handing Iran intel for strike on Jordan air base
Chinese ‘entities’ may have supplied Iran with high-resolution satellite images of a US military base in Jordan ahead of a strike that killed three troops in July, according to a report.
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that → accuse → report
Three soldiers were killed and four injured at the overnight strike at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on 17 July.
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four → kill → July
US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the alleged handover of images represented the most clear evidence so far that Chinese support for Iran had had lethal consequences for US forces.
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support → tell → forces
China has repeatedly dismissed Washington’s concerns, refusing to acknowledge that any Chinese companies are engaged in such activity, the officials said.
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officials → dismiss → activity
Emerging story: Iranian commercial ship is struck near Strait of Hormuz
Iranian state media reports that one person was killed after an Iranian commercial ship was struck near the Strait of Hormuz.
There was no immediate comment from the US military, which previously struck Iranian-flagged ships during its blockade of ports.
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which → strike → ports
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, with no details.
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vessel → report → details
…and 13 more, not listed.
