JERUSALEM: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Israel on an unannounced visit, and discussed the Iran war with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as tensions continue to simmer between the US and Iran.

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli PM, confirmed that Netanyahu had met Hegseth at the Uvda air force base in Israel’s southern Negev desert region.

Mr Netanyahu and Mr Hegseth discussed “the threats in the region” and the US-Israel partnership in dealing both “offensively and defensively” with those threats, he said in a brief phone call.

The defence secretary thanked Israel for hosting US forces, which Spielman said numbered in the thousands, and discussed President Donald Trump’s support for the prime minister.

Israeli PM celebrates Trump’s endorsement ahead of next week’s election

“There’s a deep personal relationship here that was at the core of this discussion,” Spielman said.

The Pentagon has not publicly commented on Mr Hegseth’s visit.

Earlier, he posted that he had visited US service members in the Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, northeast Africa and parts of Asia, but did not specify where he had met the personnel.

Hegseth’s visit comes as tensions flare between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, and Yemen’s Houthis intensify their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Israeli prime minister also said he spoke with President Trump on Sunday about the importance of eliminating the Iranian government.

“We are committed to completing the elimination of the Iranian regime,” Mr Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “I have discussed this with Trump many times, including the day before yesterday.”

Netanyahu basks in Trump endorsement

Netanyahu basked in Trump’s endorsement on Monday ahead of close-fought elections, airing a phone call in which the US president predicted he would win, and suggested they may again attack Iran together.

“I think you’re going to have a tremendous victory, actually,” the US president can be heard saying on speakerphone.

“You’re the man I want by my side, Bibi,” Donald Trump said, referring to Mr Netanyahu by his nickname.

Netanyahu, while reminding the famously loose-lipped president that they were on an open line, hailed Trump for joining Israel in attacking Iran in February.

“Donald, we have a job to finish,” Netanyahu beamed. “We’ll finish it together. We’ll finish it, and no one else will do it.”

Netanyahu did not elaborate, but again described Iran as “the greatest danger”.

Trump, 80, and Netanyahu, who turns 77 on Wednesday, have forged a close partnership at a time when both are vastly unpopular in public opinion in most democratic nations.

The pair have also managed to avoid prosecution while in power, with Mr Netanyahu facing charges of corruption that could land him in prison.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026

• At least 53 killed, 200 wounded in attack on govt forces’ training camp in Shabwa
• Egypt delays vote on military support for Saudi Arabia
• US embassies urge ‘heightened vigilance’ across region; Riyadh residents get ‘hostile aerial threat’ warning; govt staff told to work from home
• ‘Davos in the Desert’ postponed to next year

RIYADH: At least 53 people were killed and 200 others injured on Monday in a Houthi attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province, local authorities said, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies.

Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at security forces during a training exercise. Video from Shabwa province verified by Reuters showed injured people and bloodied bodies scattered across the ground.

The attack came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, with both sides trading attacks since the group advanced in September toward territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.

The fighting in Yemen has become another front in the wider US-Israeli war with Iran, as the Houthis step up attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter.

Riyadh alerts

Saudi authorities on Monday issued brief phone alerts to residents of the capital, Riyadh, and the nearby Kharj area, warning of a “hostile aerial threat”.

“A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh City to alert of a potential danger,” Saudi civil defence said in a statement on X.

Hours later, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for six military operations over 48 hours using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

Saree said the attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast and the Shaybah oil field near the United Arab Emirates border.

Other strikes targeted Abha International Airport, radar installations and Khamis Mushait air base in the southwest, alongside a naval camp and radar site in Bir Askar in the south.

Saree claimed the three-stage attack on the Riyadh airport achieved “accurate and direct” strikes in retaliation for more than 200 Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi-held areas over the previous 48 hours.

He vowed to continue operations “towards the Saudi interior” under a policy of “escalation for escalation” until attacks on Yemen cease.

Work from home

Amid the repeated cross-border strikes, government agencies in Riyadh instructed employees to work from home starting from Monday, according to a worker and two consultants who spoke to AFP.

An internal message sent on Sunday evening said, “It has been decided to implement remote work from Monday to Thursday this week,” while asking staff to “continue their activities as normal”.

Meanwhile, the 99-storey Kingdom Centre in downtown Riyadh, which hou­ses the regional office of the International Monetary Fund, asked employees to stay away until further notice.

Companies in the King Abdullah Financial District, home to major American firms, issued similar remote-work directives, while government offices in central Riyadh’s Al-Olaya district were evacuated two weeks earlier.

The worsening security situation prompted US embassies across the Gulf, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan to urge the Americans on Monday to exercise heightened vigilance eight months into the US-Iran war.

“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance due to the complex security environment,” the security alert said, warning of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.

Noting that Riyadh’s international airport remained closed, the alert warned that “the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area” and urged citizens to prepare contingency plans.

Vote delayed, conference postponed

As regional concerns mount, Egypt’s parliament postponed until Oct 26 a vote on authorising the armed forces to support Saudi Arabia if requested.

Lawmakers adjourned a second closed-door session on Monday to discuss President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s request for authority to back the kingdom.

While el-Sissi said on Saturday that Egypt would take “any measure” necessary to protect its Gulf allies, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party instructed its lawmakers to abstain, citing economic pressures, risks to Suez Canal revenue and insufficient information on the mission’s scope and risks.

The escalating conflict has also disrupted Saudi Arabia’s business calendar, prompting organisers on Monday to postpone the flagship Future Investment Initiative conference until 2027.

Scheduled for Oct 26-29 and informally known as “Davos in the Desert,” the 10th edition of the state-backed event was set to feature executives including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser.

While organisers said the postponement would ensure the event delivered “the full scale, extraordinary quality, and unforgettable impact that our community has come to expect”, Semafor reported that major financial firms had privately conveyed safety concerns to Saudi Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2026

• Dar discusses evolving regional situation in call with Araghchi
• Iranian FM says Tehran rejects intimidation but remains open to dialogue
• Insists seven-day Hormuz reopening proposal remains on table
• Pakistani, Egyptian FMs condemn Houthi attacks, discuss R-4 coordination
• Iran’s new defence minister threatens ‘enormous damage’ to US if attacks renewed

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday stressed the need for continued dialogue and diplomacy in a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as regional tensions persisted amid the US-Iran conflict and renewed fighting in Yemen.

The Foreign Office said the two ministers discussed the evolving regional situation as well as the ongoing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad.

Mr Dar “underscored the importance of continued dialogue and diplomacy in addressing regional challenges”, the FO said, adding that the two sides agreed to remain in close contact.

Mr Dar also held a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and exchanged views on recent regional developments.

The ministers strongly condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed their solidarity with the kingdom as well as support for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security. They also discussed cooperation under the Regional Four (R-4) framework comprising Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia. The two ministers looked forward to the next R-4 meeting to coordinate further on regional issues.

Iran rejects ‘threats’

Meanwhile, Mr Arag­hchi told the OIC meeting in Baghdad that Iran “does not accept coercion, threats, or intimidation” by the US and “will not relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure”. “But it remains ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and credible guarantees,” he added. Speaking to the media in Baghdad, Mr Araghchi said Iran’s offer to reopen the strategic waterway within seven days remained on the table.

“Our situation is clear and based on the seven-day proposal presented to the US. They shared comments which we are reviewing, but our proposal is still on the table,” Mr Araghchi said.

He said that if the US showed “honesty”, the path towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz was clear. Iran’s conditions incl­ude lifting the US blockade on its ports, removing sanctions on its oil exports and ending hostilities across regional fronts. Mr Araghchi added that if Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions, the strait could reopen within six days, followed by the resumption of talks the next day.

US warned

Iran’s newly appointed defence minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi warned that any renewed US military attack would cause “enormous damage” to Washington and its regional allies.

“People can rest assured that they will most likely not dare to attack us,” Mr Akhlaghi told reporters shortly after securing parliament’s vote of confidence. “If they do, they themselves and the region will suffer enormous damage,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2026

• President Sisi says Cairo will take ‘any measure’ to protect kingdom if asked
• Iran backs ‘political process’, offers to mediate
• Saudi, Houthi forces trade fire

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged on Saturday that Egypt was ready to help defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi forces if requested, as fighting intensified across the region and Cairo moved towards possible parliamentary authorisation for support.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy, Sisi said Egypt was “not looking for a role to play” in regional conflicts but that it was “inconceivable” for Cairo to stand by while Saudi Arabia was “harmed or its security and stability threatened”.

“Egypt, of course, with the directives of His Majesty King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will carry out any measure to protect you or defend you,” Sisi said.

He said any deployment would require parliamentary approval and expressed hope lawmakers would convene in an emergency session to authorise support “if it is requested of us”.

“I’m not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone,” Sisi said. “We are speaking only about defence.”

Egyptian state media later reported that parliament would hold an emergency session on Sunday at Sisi’s request to consider possible support for Saudi defences.

Egypt joined the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen in 2015, though its role has largely focused on securing Red Sea shipping routes rather than frontline combat. The renewed conflict also threatens Egypt’s economic interests, particularly Suez Canal revenues.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said last month that the Suez Canal had lost about $11 billion in revenue since the Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in 2023.

During a visit to Egypt last month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sisi called for free and secure navigation in the Red Sea. Egypt has not joined the Makkah agreement, a mutual defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in August, and has said it is studying the agreement.

Sisi also said on Saturday that his presidential term would end in 2030 and proposed a 30-month training programme at the Egyptian Military Academy to prepare potential future leaders.

He said a committee would develop selection criteria and legislation for the programme, which would target PhD holders from reputable Egyptian and foreign universities.

Iran, meanwhile, backed a political solution to the Saudi-Houthi conflict and renewed its offer to mediate. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi repeated Iran’s offer to mediate between the two sides.

Araghchi said on Saturday at the Organ­isation of Islamic Coope­ration in Baghdad that Tehran supported an “incl­usive and comprehensive political process as the only practical and sustainable way to resolve the issue”.

Araghchi also said, “Either we build security together, or we will endure insecurity together,” adding that Iran was willing to cooperate with its neighbours. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis’ recent escalation, a charge Tehran denies.

The fighting continued on Saturday, with Saudi Arabia saying it intercepted four drones over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the south.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the drones were “intercepted and destroyed” as the kingdom faced repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on oil installations, tankers and airports.

Houthi-affiliated med­ia, meanwhile, said Saudi air strikes beginning overnight killed at least 12 people in Yemen, including three children. It said strikes on “civilian homes” in Taiz killed nine people and wounded 16, while attacks in Dhamar killed three children and wounded 17.

The Houthi news agency also alleged that Saudi forces used cluster bombs. The Saudi-led coalition did not immediately comment on that claim.

The renewed war in Yemen has intensified since July. The Houthis have attacked Saudi energy facilities, vessels and Riyadh’s international airport, where 13 people were killed last week.

The Houthis have also seized territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, increasing pressure on Red Sea shipping and energy exports.

Separately, the Houthis announced the release of 159 pro-government fighters under an amnesty after their recent territorial gains. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the release and said it helped with interviews, health checks, family contacts and transportation.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2026