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Airstrikes on Yemen's capital, drone hits vessel in Strait of Hormuz, and other Mideast developments

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Airstrikes on Yemen's capital, drone hits vessel in Strait of Hormuz, and other Mideast developments
News

News

Airstrikes on Yemen's capital, drone hits vessel in Strait of Hormuz, and other Mideast developments

2026-10-12 16:41 Last Updated At:16:50

Airstrikes targeted two districts in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels reported Monday, blaming Saudi Arabia for the airstrikes that occurred around midnight. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the claim.

Meanwhile, India's Foreign Ministry said two Indian nationals were missing after a drone struck a commercial tanker around the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Read our full coverage here.

A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry said Monday that airstrikes in the capital Sanaa killed one person and wounded 12 others.

Ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said a strike on a salt factory in Sanaa's Hamadan district killed a man and wounded eight people. A separate strike on a house wounded a woman and three children, he said.

The Iranian-backed rebels' media center blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes, which came as the Houthis continued to fire missiles and drones toward the kingdom’s airports. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

Businesses in Riyadh's financial hub have told employees to work remotely after the Houthis increased attacks on the kingdom.

That’s according to multiple employees whose firms have offices at the King Abdullah Financial District. They spoke Monday on condition of anonymity for their safety.

The district is home to major financial institutions including the Saudi sovereign wealth fund and an Aramco office, stock exchange and global firms like Goldman Sachs.

Authorities in Riyadh have also asked schools to switch to online classes this week following the deadly strikes on King Khalid International Airport over the weekend.

— By Samy Magdy in Cairo

India's Foreign Ministry said Monday two Indian seafarers are missing after a drone struck the MT Petro Dolphin in the Strait of Hormuz area. The commercial tanker had 11 Indian sailors on board when it was hit Sunday, the ministry said.

A second vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera, was struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire on board, but all 11 Indian sailors on the tanker were safe, the ministry said.

The ministry said that repeated strikes on commercial shipping in the region were “deeply concerning and risk further aggravating an already volatile situation.”

An Emirati diplomat on Monday called for “joint Gulf action” to defend Gulf countries against attacks by Iran and its allied groups.

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, said Iran and its allies wrongly assessed that Gulf Arab countries were “the weakest link” in the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.

Tehran and its allies have repeatedly attacked Arab countries on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf.

Gargash posted on social media that “we are all targeted and that our security is indivisible,” adding that attacks on Saudi Arabia undermine "the security of the UAE and all Gulf states.”

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the group, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Writing on posters reads in Arabic, "God is great, death to America, death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam." (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the group, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Writing on posters reads in Arabic, "God is great, death to America, death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam." (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Schoolboys ride in the back of a police pickup truck after classes in Aden, Yemen, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Schoolboys ride in the back of a police pickup truck after classes in Aden, Yemen, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

A displaced Yemeni family sits beside a makeshift shelter along a roadside in Aden, Yemen, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

A displaced Yemeni family sits beside a makeshift shelter along a roadside in Aden, Yemen, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

LONDON (AP) — Comedian Russell Brand arrived at a London court Monday for the opening of his trial on charges of rape and sexual assault.

Brand was flanked by security guards and accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher, as he arrived at Southwark Crown Court for the first day of a trial that is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.

Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The offenses relate to six women and are alleged to have taken place between 1999 and 2009.

He has remained free on bail ahead of his trial.

Prosecutors have said at previous hearings that Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at a Labour Party conference, grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissing and groping a radio station worker.

Known for risque stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brand was a major star of the early 2000s, with TV hosting jobs, his own BBC radio show and roles in films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.”

In recent years he has dropped out of mainstream media, moved to Florida and built a large following online with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.

The Associated Press doesn’t name victims of alleged sexual violence, and British law protects their identities from the media for life.

Comedian and actor Russell Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russel Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russel Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Comedian and actor Russell Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault against six women, which he has denied, in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

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