Bab Al Mandab

Iran-backed Houthi forces claimed large-scale drone, ballistic and cruise missile attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery at Rabigh, and military sites across southern Saudi Arabia, declaring Saudi airspace an open theater except for holy sites. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activated the Mecca Pact, agreeing to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities to the Kingdom. Britain warned it would expel 27 Israeli diplomats and their families if Israel follows through on closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem.

Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha, tightening their grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait as oil prices surged to $105 per barrel. Iran's IRGC claimed destruction of a US unmanned vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, while the IAEA reported construction activity at Iran's fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Israeli strikes killed a family of four in Beit Lahia, Gaza, and the IDF prepared to demolish a major Hezbollah tunnel system beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon.