Al-Attiyah and Brabec dominate penultimate stage to edge closer to Dakar Rally victories

YANBU, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and rider Ricky Brabec are set to win the Dakar Rally after dominating their closest pursuers in the Saudi desert on Friday.

Both of them won the 311-kilometer 12th and penultimate stage between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, the rally starting point on the Red Sea coast two weeks ago.

The second stage win for both in this Dakar gave them overall leads — extended in Al-Attiyah's case — that are ample enough to secure a sixth car title for Al-Attiyah and third motorbike crown for Brabec, barring major mishaps.

Al-Attiyah's Dacia was 16 minutes up on Nani Roma’s Ford and Brabec's Honda was three-plus minutes up on Luciano Benavides' KTM going into the 13th and final stage on Saturday, a 108-kilometer dash outside Yanbu.

Al-Attiyah didn't have to risk anything on Friday. He started with an overall lead of eight-plus minutes and improved it in the first 100 kilometers beyond 10 minutes. The masterful stage victory was the 50th of his career, tying the car record with Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel.

“To win this stage and to have a good lead now is really amazing. We are so happy,” Al-Attiyah said. “You could lose everything today but we did a good job. Everything looks like it’s going very well.”

Roma started 11th in the stage and ahead of Al-Attiyah, and Romain Dumas waited 30 minutes to shadow his Spanish teammate to support him but Roma couldn't turn it into an advantage. He was eighth behind Al-Attiyah but arrived at the finish with a broken front axle.

To reach the bivouac on time and avoid time penalties, Dumas gave Roma his front axle. Roma then hit the road but ran out of petrol and got a tow from fellow racer Laia Sanz. Roma was one minute late and got only a one-minute penalty.

Mitch Guthrie's Ford was second, a minute back. Mattias Ekström’s Ford was third, opening the way from start to finish and overtaking Sébastien Loeb’s Dacia overall to grab third place by 29 seconds.

Brabec turned a 23-second deficit to overnight leader Benavides into a decisive overall lead of 3 minutes, 20 seconds.

Brabec set it up on Thursday to start the special from sixth on Friday, two places behind Benavides, with the benefit of gauging their relative progress and follow tracks without having to navigate.

He wiped out Benavides' overnight lead within the first 80 kilometers. Benavides chose to catch the stage pacesetters and took over opening the way after about 120 kilometers and collected time bonuses. But the effort to clear the way and slow down to stay on track played into Brabec’s hands.

Brabec should add this Dakar to his previous wins in 2020 and 2024 and become the seventh man to win at least three motorbike crowns. The record is six by Peterhansel from 1991-98 when the race was in Africa.

Benavides still believed he can win. His brother Kevin Benavides did it in 2023 but he trailed Toby Price by only 12 seconds.

“We keep the hope alive until the last kilometer,” Luciano said. “It's gonna be hard for sure.”

Brabec could almost taste the win.

“Tomorrow is supposed to be ‘easy’ they say, and if I open and do a good job I should get a minute and a half in bonus time,” he said. “We'll see.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Luciano Benavides competes during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Ricky Brabec competes during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon as the U.S. apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea, intensifying its campaign targeting the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.

Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host U.S. forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.

The Israeli military said the fighting has destroyed most of Iran’s air defenses and missile launchers, while U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that strikes against Tehran were “about to surge dramatically.”

Tehran has warned of the destruction of the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure, and the war has rattled financial markets.

Here is the latest:

South Korea’s foreign minister told a legislative hearing that the United States has not requested military or non-military assistance from Seoul over the war in the Middle East, but declined to comment on reports that Washington could relocate some of its assets in South Korea to support the fighting.

When asked by a lawmaker about a media report that U.S. forces were moving some of its Patriot anti-missile defense systems to a major airbase near Seoul, Cho Hyun said he couldn’t confirm details related to U.S. military operations.

Cho said Seoul and Washington were maintaining close communication and that the allies’ combined defense posture would not be affected by developments in the Middle East.

U.S. Forces Korea said in a statement it does not “comment on the movement, relocation, or potential repositioning of specific military capabilities or assets” for operational security reasons.

The USFK statement came in response to questions from The Associated Press about a Yonhap News report, citing anonymous sources, that said U.S. forces moved multiple Patriot systems from other bases in South Korea to Osan Air Base, where transport aircraft were also spotted.

Yonhap said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the movements were linked to the war or joint U.S.-South Korea military drills beginning Monday.

“United States Forces Korea remains focused on maintaining a strong, ready, and combat-credible force posture on the Korean Peninsula,” the USFK said.

Etihad Airways said it is restarting a “limited flight schedule” from its hub in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi starting Friday.

The government-backed carrier has operated some flights in recent days, but its latest announcement suggests it is moving toward more regular operations.

Etihad said that previously booked passengers as well as new customers will be able to travel on the flights, assuming “all safety criteria are met.”

It listed more than 70 destinations it planned to fly to between Friday and March 19.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry reported the destruction of another drone near Riyadh, this one to its northeast.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said it destroyed three drones in the eastern areas of Riyadh.

The ministry said earlier Friday that it intercepted a cruise missile over the city of Kharj.

Iranian state television reported Friday that a leadership council in the country met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new supreme leader.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-U.S. airstrike campaign.

Residents of Dubai have been receiving mass text messages warning them about their social media activity.

A message attributed to Dubai police said that “photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”

There was no elaboration in the message.

It comes as Bahrain issued a similar, but sterner warning as the Iran war rages on across the Mideast.

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven autocratic sheikhdoms home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The UAE, while socially liberal in many regards compared with its Middle Eastern neighbors, has strict laws governing expression and bans political parties and labor unions.

Missiles launched from Iran are seen in the sky over central Israel, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A man passes by a destroyed car and shop on a commercial street that was hit by Israeli airstrikes in Nabatiyeh town, south Lebanon, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Mourners reach out to coffins during a funeral for people killed during the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Qom, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Seyyed Mehdi Alavi/ISNA via AP)

Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)