An airstrike killed three children in Yemen and wounded others. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of the attack.
Meanwhile, a journalist underwent surgery after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Read our full coverage here.
Airstrike kills three children in Yemen
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels say that airstrikes from Saudi Arabia killed three children in Yemen's southwestern province of Dhamar.
The Houthi-run health ministry said Saturday that the strikes a day prior hit houses in al-Ar village in the Dawran Aness district, killing one child aged 8 and two children aged 10 and wounding more than a dozen people.
The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the strike, which comes amid heightened fighting between the group and the kingdom and its Yemeni allies. Saudi Arabia didn’t immediately comment on the strike.
The children are among 124 people the Houthis say have been killed in their territories since fighting resumed in September, according to the ministry.
Journalist undergoes surgery, suffers broken vertebrae after Israeli settler attacks
Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine is undergoing surgery on her finger Saturday, which was nearly detached from her hand after she was beaten by settlers in the West Bank, her daughter said.
Ashley Milner told The Associated Press that the finger on her mother's left hand was cut to the bone and a tendon was visible. She said Levine also has a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae as well as lacerations across her body.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank on Friday, setting fire to cars and trees and beating residents as well as Levine in the latest violence to disrupt the territory’s annual olive harvest this month.
Levine said the perpetrators — armed with bottles and slingshots — “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag.” She said her helmet and protective vest, which was marked “PRESS,” likely saved her from more serious injuries.
Settler violence against Palestinians has soared this year and spiked further in the weeks leading up to Israel’s Oct. 27 election. Israeli authorities have done little to stop the attacks, residents and rights groups say.
Two ships attacked in the Persian Gulf off of Saudi Arabia
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Saturday that two vessels transiting through the Persian Gulf off of Saudi Arabia were struck.
One tanker was fired upon from a small boat with an RPG that damaged part of its rear and the other was struck by an unknown projectile, it said.
UKMTO, which monitors threats to commercial shipping, did not identify the vessels but said the crews of both were safe. No one claimed the strikes, which happened on Friday.
There has been an uptick in attacks since U.S. President Donald Trump late last month rejected a Tehran proposal to end the war and open the strait, though indirect negotiations have continued.
On Saturday, Iran’s state broadcaster reported that according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil struck a naval mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. It was unclear when the incident occurred or if there was a connection with the damaged vessels. It was not reported by UKMTO.
Egypt says it will do what it takes to defend Saudi Arabia
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Saturday that his government will implement “any measure” to defend its ally Saudi Arabia amid increasing attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Addressing King Salman and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, el-Sissi said his country would do what it takes to defend them.
His comments came during a graduation ceremony at the Military Academy in the country's capital, Cairo. He said if need be he would convene parliament for an emergency session to authorize that such measures be taken.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill four people
Israeli strikes on Saturday killed four people across Gaza, including a teenager, according to hospital officials.
One strike killed two people and wounded several others east of Gaza City, according to staff at Shifa hospital. Another killed a 14-year-old boy in the central city of Deir al-Balah, according to staff at al-Aqsa hospital, and the third killed one person in the southern city of Rafah, according to the Red Cross field hospital.
Israel's army said it struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad military operatives in those areas Saturday morning and is checking the results of the strikes. It did not immediately respond to the strike in Rafah.
The attacks came more than a year after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hamas, during which Israel continued to launch deadly strikes on the enclave.
More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire was reached last October, according to the territory’s health ministry. Its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It doesn’t give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
