Yemeni officials have appealed for international support to protect civilians in Taiz as Iran-backed Houthi rebels tightened their siege of the city.
Meanwhile, a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade shot and killed a man who attacked him with a knife. Police labeled the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
Separately, Iran's top diplomat said a meeting of high-level security officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
and Turkey was a step toward dialogue and peace, while stressing that regional security should be handled by the countries themselves rather than outside intervention.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. Read our full coverage here.
Yemeni government officials urged the international community to help protect civilians and reopen roads into the besieged city of Taiz as Iran-backed Houthi rebels further tightened their encirclement of the city.
Taiz province has emerged as a major battlefront in recent weeks, including the city of Taiz, which has taken in around half of Yemen’s displaced population, straining limited resources.
Taiz Gov. Nabil Shamsan said residents had lost access to about 3 million liters (about 793,000 gallons) of water previously available from wells in Wadi al-Dhubab, which he said is now under Houthi control. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.
Eshraq al-Maqtari, a legal affairs minister in Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said more than 2,000 projectiles and explosives fired by the Houthis had struck Taiz city’s districts in recent days and called for measures to cut off the rebels' weapon supplies and funding.
Shamsan said fighting had intensified across the province as the Houthis deployed reinforcements to multiple fronts, with the city encircled on all four sides.
The Houthi military warned people to immediately evacuate Aden airport, claiming without providing evidence that a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was at the facility. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claim.
It was the first time the Houthis issued an evacuation warning for Aden airport. It has been struck a few times this month, most recently by two missiles, with police blaming the Houthis.
An assailant armed with knives attacked a police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, just after midnight on Wednesday, police said. The officer, from an elite unit, responded by fatally shooting the attacker.
Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that police were treating the incident as a “terrorist attack” and had raised the terror threat to the highest level. Police presence at key locations was increased.
He described the attacker as a minor who had two knives. He attacked the member of the Gendarmerie, shouting Allahu Akbar, or “God is great” in Arabic. Dacic added that the police officer, who was slightly wounded in the face, killed the assailant in self-defense.
A meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in Tehran on Monday provided an opportunity to advance dialogue and regional peace, Iran’s top diplomat said.
In comments posted on social media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said the countries should be responsible for their own security without the military presence of “extra-regional powers.”
The talks came amid growing speculation about the return to all-out war and as Saudi Arabia continues to face repeated attacks from the Houthis in Yemen.
Araghchi gave no details of the meeting.
Iran repeatedly attacked neighboring Gulf Arab countries during the war that started on Feb. 28. It claimed it was targeting U.S. facilities and interests in the region. The Gulf countries said Iran had also attacked civilian facilities and infrastructure.
Egypt’s top diplomat discussed efforts to contain the crisis in the region in telephone calls with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts, against the backdrop of increasing tensions, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed political solutions to the ongoing crisis with Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, according to Foreign Ministry statements.
Egypt said this month it will provide Saudi Arabia with military support to defend the kingdom against attacks by the Houthis in Yemen. The decision was made by the country’s highest security body, then approved earlier this week by the country’s lawmakers in a closed-door vote.
Egypt’s president insisted that the military support to the kingdom will strictly be defensive.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
