Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Islam's holiest city, a claim the Houthis denied.
Meanwhile, a tanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.
Saudi Arabia says drone launched by Houthis intercepted near Mecca
The Saudi-led coalition said Friday it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
A coalition spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said the drone was intercepted in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Mecca, saying in a statement that the group’s military operations are aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
Saudi Arabia has previously reported intercepting missiles and drones headed toward Mecca and Medina. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting either city.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials
Iran state media said Friday that Qatari mediators have returned to Iran for talks with officials, in the latest diplomatic push to try to broker an end to the war with the United States and Israel.
The IRNA state news agency said the Qatari delegation was headed by the country’s foreign minister and senior adviser to the prime minister. IRNA said they were meeting with senior Iranian officials but did not specify who.
The visit follows outreach from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who sent a letter in recent days to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran on Thursday acknowledged receipt of the letter but said it had not responded and did not detail its contents.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the letter was not about peace negotiations but instead about possibly allowing humanitarian aid.
Diplomats say U.S. officials have told Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections in the United States.
Iran says it's stopped two oil tankers attempting to use unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it has stopped two oil tankers attempting to use unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz, the state-run IRNA media reported on Friday.
The Guard’s navy said one tanker was stopped in the eastern part of the strait and the other in the western part. Both had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and were attempting to leave through unauthorized routes with U.S. military support, it said.
The Guard said the vessels ignored repeated radio warnings, but did not specify how they were stopped in the waters along the south side of the strait.
The British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it had received one report of a vessel on fire in the strait northeast of Oman, and another of an attack on a tanker off the northwest tip of the country.
Iran insists that ships seeking to transit the strait communicate with its authorities, and follow a route on the north side of the waterway, near its coast. Ships seeking to avoid Iran have been sticking to the south side of the strait.
Rescue teams search for missing after Syria flash floods
Civil defense teams were searching for missing people in eastern Syria on Friday after deadly flash floods swept through several areas.
At least five people, including four children, were killed by the floods in rural areas of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces, the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management reported Thursday.
Civil defense teams have rescued dozens of people who were trapped by rising waters or stranded in their vehicles, state-run SANA news agency reported, while hundreds of families were evacuated from camps for internally displaced people in northern Syria.
Palestinians in Gaza have little hope that Israel’s election will improve lives
Palestinians in Gaza weren't holding out hope that Israel's elections would impact their dire humanitarian situation, as near-daily Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire.
“Suffering in Gaza will remain exactly as it is. Nothing will change for us, whether it is Netanyahu or Eisenkot,” said Ziad Abed, a resident of Maghazi in central Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival Gadi Eisenkot failed to secure a parliamentary majority in this week's election. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, Eisenkot’s 48 and Arab-led parties 19, leaving coalition negotiations ahead.
Arab-led parties secured their largest-ever number of seats in Israel’s parliament with Palestinians hoping it could move the needle, though it is unclear whether either of the main parties would work with them.
“If such an alliance were to be formed, it could lead to progress,” said Yazan Hamad, a man displaced from northern Gaza.
___
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
