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Iran launched missiles towards Israel, while air defenses early Sunday intercepted missiles and drones across the Gulf states.
People donate money after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s call to support Iran and Lebanon during the war with the United States and Israel, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Babylon, Iraq. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AFP) – Supported by Iran Houthi rebels I entered Monthly war in the Middle East On Saturday, it announced the launch of two missiles towards Israel. About 2,500 US Marines arrived in the area. and Pakistani government Regional powers said they plan to meet on Sunday to discuss how to end the fighting.
War He was threatened Global supplies Of oil and natural gas, raised Fertilizer shortage And disrupting air travel. Iran’s grip on strategy Strait of Hormuz Markets and prices were shaken. The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. More than 3,000 people were killed.
The Houthi entry could hurt global shipping further if they again target ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of global trade normally passes.
There may be limited relief after Iran agreed on Friday to allow humanitarian aid Agricultural shipments during Strait At the request of the United Nations. US President Donald TrumpMeanwhile, Iran has been given until April 6 to reopen the Strait.
Eyewitnesses in Tehran reported violent strikes late on Saturday. The Israeli military previously said that it targeted Iranian naval weapons production facilities and that it would finish attacking basic weapons production sites within “a few days.” The United States said it struck more than 11,000 Iranian targets in the war.
Iran launched missiles towards Israel, while air defenses early Sunday intercepted missiles and drones across the Gulf states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky He visited the Gulf countries on Saturday His country provides defense assistance with drones.
Houthi involvement raises concerns
Brigadier General Al-Houthi, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, told the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite channel that they fired missiles towards “sensitive Israeli military sites” in the south.
Ahmed Naji, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said that if the Houthis increased their attacks on commercial shipping, as they have done in the past, it would further raise oil prices and destabilize “all maritime security.” “The impact will not be limited to the energy market.”
Bab el-Mandeb, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is vital for ships heading to the Suez Canal via the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia sends millions of barrels of crude oil daily through it because the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.
Houthi rebels Attacked more than 100 commercial ships with missiles and drones. Two ships sunkBetween November 2023 and January 2025. The movement said that it stood in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Israel-Hamas war.
The latest Houthi intervention would complicate the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which arrived in Croatia on Saturday for maintenance. Sending the ship into the Red Sea could lead to attacks similar to those on the aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and USS Harry S. Truman in 2025.
The Houthis have controlled the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, since 2014. Saudi Arabia launched a war against the Houthis on behalf of the exiled Yemeni government in 2015, and they now have an uneasy ceasefire.
Diplomatic attempts while the United States strengthens its troop numbers
Pakistan said that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send their senior diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war, and they will arrive on Sunday for a two-day visit. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held “extensive discussions” regarding hostilities in the region.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Turkish counterpart by phone that Tehran was skeptical about the recent diplomatic efforts. Iranian state-run media said Araqchi accused the United States of making “unreasonable demands” and showing “contradictory actions.”
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar later spoke with Araghchi and urged “an end to all attacks and hostilities.”
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington surrendered A 15-point “Action List”. To Iran for a potential ceasefire, with a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restrict Iran’s nuclear programme, an issue at the heart of tensions with the United States and Israel.
Tehran rejected the list and presented A Five-point proposal Which included compensation and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.
The US ships arrived with about 2,500 Marines trained in amphibious landing operations, adding to the largest US force in the region in more than two decades. At least 1000 paratroopers from 82nd Airborne DivisionThey were trained to land in hostile territory to secure key sites and airfields, and were ordered to head to the Middle East.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington “can achieve all of our goals without ground forces.”
An American soldier was injured at the Saudi base
There were more than twenty American soldiers He was injured in Iranian attacks at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia last week, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Iran launched six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base on Friday, wounding at least 15 soldiers, five of them in serious condition. The base, located about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was attacked twice earlier in the week, including a strike that wounded 14 American soldiers, according to people familiar with the matter.
There were more than 300 American service members He was injured in the war. At least 13 people were reported killed.
The death toll rises
Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people were killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 deaths were reported in Israel.
And in Lebanon, where Israel began invasion In the south, while targeting the armed group Hezbollah, officials said more than 1,100 people were bombed He was killed in the country Since the beginning of the war.
In Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces died.
In the Gulf countries, 20 people were killed. Four were martyred in the occupied West Bank.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Torobin in Washington, Kara Anna in Lovell, New York, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.