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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) on October 12 released footage they said showed their fighters clearing Saudi-backed forces from the remaining areas of Jabal Habashi district, the al-Birin Triangle and the Yafrus junction in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province.

The footage showed close-range fighting, surprise attacks and fighters advancing into opposing positions and trenches. It also depicted the use of automatic rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and 82 mm and 120 mm mortars, alongside the capture of several fighters, weapons and military vehicles.

The Houthi military media said the group’s fighters had driven Saudi-backed forces from the three locations and secured the areas.

Pressure on Saudi-backed forces around Taiz continues to intensify, with fighting on multiple fronts and reported Houthi movements toward the city’s western approaches.

The recent advances tightened the encirclement of government-aligned positions and restricted their movement between frontlines.

Alongside the fighting, tribal leaders in Jabal Saber, south of Taiz city, have been holding negotiations with Houthi forces over a possible handover of local areas without fighting, according to Yemeni media reports. The reported talks aim to prevent villages from becoming military positions or launching points for attacks and to spare populated areas further destruction. No agreement or transfer of control had been confirmed in the reports.

The combination of Houthi advances on the western approaches and negotiations over Jabal Saber indicates the battle for Taiz city is drawing near. The Houthis maintain the upper hand. However, the difficult terrain and the high urban density of the city could play in favor of the defenders.

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• On October 11, Ansar Allah forces captured Jabal Habashi and al-Misrakh in Taiz province;
• On October 11, Ansar Allah carried out missile and drone attacks on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd Airport in Dammam, and Aramco facilities at Shedgum and Tanajib;
• Fighting is ongoing near the Bab al-Mandab.

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on October 12 that it had struck a third supertanker in the Strait of Hormuz within two days, claiming the vessel caught fire.

In a statement carried by Iran’s state media, the IRGC Navy said the tanker was hit in the morning while attempting to leave the strait. It accused the vessel of disregarding Iranian instructions and disrupting security in the waterway. The statement did not identify the ship, its flag or its operator, or specify what struck it.

The announcement followed an earlier claim by the IRGC Navy that a supertanker had struck a naval mine while attempting to leave the strait through a southern route that Iran considers unauthorized.

The force said in a statement issued late on October 11 that the explosion struck the vessel’s engine room. It described the tanker as capable of carrying about 2 million barrels of oil but did not disclose the tanker’s identity.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said during the day that it had received a delayed report of an incident a day earlier involving an outbound tanker struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. The crew was reported safe, while authorities were investigating. The agency did not identify the vessel or attribute responsibility for the incident.

Preliminary data from maritime analytics firm Kpler, reported on October 12, showed a sharp decline in confirmed oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz toward the end of last week. Volumes fell to 2 million barrels per day on Saturday, down from 6.7 million on Friday and 22.8 million on Thursday.

Confirmed flows averaged 10.5 million barrels per day over the seven days through Saturday, about 38% below the prewar baseline of 17.1 million barrels per day, according to the data.

Kpler cautioned that the figures remained preliminary and could be revised upward. They also excluded Iranian-origin shipments.

The decline underscores the continuing disruption to commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war.

The latest attacks show that Iran is still very much in control of the Strait of Hormuz, well capable of targeting any vessel it deems in violation of its restrictions.

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• Two additional oil tankers struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering explosions and fires, according to the IRGC Navy;
• On October 11, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Valthera was hit by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, causing damage and a fire;
• On October 11, the oil-products tanker MT Petro Dolphin was struck by a drone while anchored off Sohar, Oman.

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• The US Is Pulling the Plug on International Justice — Does Europe Have Its Own Power Source?
• Saudi Arabia Has Allies. But Who Will Fight Its War in Yemen?

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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) released footage on October 12 showing their fighters repelled a large-scale attack by Saudi-backed government forces on the al-Faliha front in the central Yemeni province of Marib.

The footage, broadcast by the Houthi-run Al-Masirah network, showed a large force crossing the desert with armored vehicles and other military equipment before coming under artillery and mortar fire.

The force received direct hits. Subsequent scenes showed several armored vehicles being struck, damaged and set ablaze. One military pickup truck was hit and overturned, while other vehicles retreated across the desert. The footage also showed wounded fighters lying on the ground as the withdrawal continued.

Houthi military media said the defending forces later used guided missiles against the advancing vehicles, causing further destruction and fires.

The failed attack on the al-Faliha front comes as Saudi-backed forces struggle to turn their reported advances in Marib into a broader breakthrough.

Although government forces have announced the capture of individual positions on several fronts in Marib, their operations have yet to produce a decisive shift in control or dislodge the Houthis from their established defensive lines.

The Houthis therefore continue to hold the upper hand in Marib, where their defenses have withstood repeated attempts to advance.

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A Sudanese rights group said strikes on October 10 killed at least 72 people at a gold-mining site near Egypt’s border with Sudan.

Emergency Lawyers attributed the strike to Egyptian warplanes. Cairo has not officially commented on the strikes, while Sudan’s military-led Sovereign Council said the two governments were in contact to establish the circumstances.

Sources in Cairo told The National that the strike targeted illegal gold prospectors who were operating on territory claimed by Egypt and had repeatedly ignored warnings to leave.

Images circulating online appeared to show a leaflet warning of “immediate targeting,” although the material has not been independently verified.

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The incident follows similar strikes that reportedly killed 23 workers in the Jabal al-Uqaydat mining region in June. At the time, Egypt’s military announced a large-scale security operation against criminal networks involved in illegal gold mining, drug and weapons trafficking, and irregular migration.

Egyptian authorities detained 223 people, including 87 Egyptians and 136 foreign nationals, and seized weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and mining equipment during the operation.

The crackdown came after repeated confrontations along the southern frontier. Egyptian border guard officer Lt. Col. Ahmed Adel Gouda was killed on February 9 in a clash involving border troops and Sudanese armed miners.

Later on March 9, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Samir Abdel Wahab Nour El-Din, chief of staff of the Southern Military Zone’s border guards, died during a security operation against smuggling networks.

Illegal mining and gold smuggling have expanded amid Sudan’s war, which began more than three years ago. A 2024 United Nations report found that more than half of Sudan’s gold production was smuggled out of the country, with illicit trade providing revenue to networks operating across poorly controlled border areas. Egypt has been badly effected by this.

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Russia on October 12 accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of using his demand for a 60-day ceasefire to give Ukraine’s military time to recover and prepare for renewed fighting, with the Kremlin offering to suspend attacks for just one day — the day of a presidential election.

“Kyiv does not want to hold elections. This is absolutely obvious,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. “The 60 days of ceasefire are needed not for elections, but to gather strength, heal wounds and continue the war.”

Peskov said President Vladimir Putin would be prepared to order Russian forces not to strike Ukraine on election day if Kyiv genuinely intended to hold a vote.

“Precisely on election day,” he said, ruling out the two-month pause sought by Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president made his unrealistic ceasefire proposal in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” aired just a day earlier.

“Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections,” Zelensky said.

Russia’s response directly challenges Kyiv to demonstrate that its demand is about holding elections rather than securing an extended break from the battlefield. P

eskov’s accusation was explicit: Moscow believes the proposed pause would allow Ukrainian forces to rebuild their strength before continuing the war.

Russia itself held parliamentary elections over three days, from September 18 to 20, while the war continued and without a nationwide ceasefire. The voting concluded on schedule despite Ukrainian drone attacks reported by Russian authorities on the final day.

The vote is an example of an election proceeding under wartime conditions. Thus, Moscow has the right to argue that Ukraine has no need for a two-month suspension of fighting.

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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been moving between heavily guarded palaces with bunkers as Houthi attacks intensify against the kingdom, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 12, citing officials familiar with his movements.

The 41-year-old crown prince is also protected by a handpicked security team, according to the report, which notes that his last public appearance was on October 6, when he gave blood during a national donation drive.

The heightened security marks a sharp reversal from Saudi officials’ earlier assurances that the Houthi threat was under control.

The group has expanded its attacks to Saudi airports and energy infrastructure, exposing the kingdom’s vulnerability despite years of military involvement in Yemen.

At least one Houthi missile struck Riyadh’s international airport on October 10, killing at least 12 people and injuring hundreds. Another strike hit the airport the following day.

Earlier attacks targeted the kingdom’s main east-west oil pipeline, which allows Saudi Arabia to transport crude to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi officials had underestimated the threat posed by the Houthis. Saudi intelligence indicated that Iran was actively pressing the group to enter the war, but some officials assessed that the Houthis had already suffered substantial military damage from United States and Israeli attacks the previous year and would make decisions based on their own interests rather than Tehran’s, the Journal reported.

The conflict is now jeopardizing bin Salman’s efforts to establish tourism and international investment as pillars of the Saudi economy.

An international investment conference scheduled for later this month is now in doubt, while the costs of the war have widened the budget deficit and increased the risk of an economic contraction.

Foreign investment fell during the first two quarters of the year, and rising defense and infrastructure spending threatens to divert funds from the crown prince’s economic diversification program. Several major projects have been stalled or placed under review.

Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry now expects the economy to shrink by about 3.6% by the end of this year, according to the report.

Bin Salman has sought closer ties with President Donald Trump, including a pledge to invest around $1 trillion in the United States. Washington, however, has so far resisted Saudi requests for military assistance to roll back the Houthi advance, although it has sent military advisers.

Riyadh has turned to Pakistan for support, is seeking air defense systems abroad and is considering recruiting foreign fighters to support its Yemeni allies while exploring a diplomatic way to contain the conflict, the report said. Meanwhile, Turkey, a signatory to the Mecca defense pact, has ruled out an offensive role, while reports of possible Syrian involvement remain unconfirmed.

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• Houthis Claim Key Taiz District as Pressure Tightens on Provincial Capital (Videos)
• Saudi Arabia Has Allies. But Who Will Fight Its War in Yemen?

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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced a new advance in the province of Taiz on October 11, saying they had driven Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces out of al-Masrakh district.

A military source told the Houthi-run Saba news agency that Saudi-backed forces had been expelled from the district in southern Taiz.

The claim followed reports earlier in the day that government-aligned forces had retaken the district center after Houthi fighters entered it. Asharq News, citing field sources, also reported clashes around the nearby al-Aqroudh front as government forces sought to recover lost positions.

Separately, Houthi military media released footage showing what the group described as the repulsion of Saudi-backed reinforcements advancing from Lahj toward the al-Wazi’iyah highlands in western Taiz.

The Houthis said their fighters had cleared the remaining parts of Wadi Sharira and the surrounding mountains and hills toward al-Shamaytayn, along the southwestern edge of the province.

The footage showed close-range clashes, with fighters moving into opposing positions and using machine guns and mortars. The Houthis said they had captured members of the advancing forces and seized weapons and military vehicles, which they claimed were subsequently used against their opponents.

The latest developments point to a worsening position for Saudi-backed forces across Taiz. Local authorities have warned that the Houthis are tightening their siege of the city and turning access roads into front lines.

Saudi-backed forces have announced local counterattacks but have yet to demonstrate a coordinated effort capable of reversing the Houthi advances across the province.

In addition, Saudi airstrikes have failed to halt the Houthi advance. With pressure mounting around Taiz city, the Houthis retain the initiative across the province.

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