Houthi rebels clash with Yemeni government

Key Points:

• Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces intensified overnight in Taiz province, resulting in at least one soldier killed and another critically wounded amid a surge of Houthi attacks nationwide.
• The Houthis launched drone strikes on a Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Jazan for the second time in days, targeting Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, escalating regional tensions.
• The U.N. warns Yemen is at heightened risk of large-scale conflict resuming, with humanitarian officials highlighting a looming catastrophe as 6 million Yemenis face emergency food insecurity near famine levels.
• Environmental concerns rise as oil spills off the coasts of Iran and Oman are linked to regional maritime incidents, including a grounded tanker near Oman and an oil spill near Iran’s Qeshm Island, prompting cleanup efforts.
• Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least two people, including a Gaza police chief, amid ongoing violence; meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Israel condemned a siege by Israeli settlers on a Palestinian-American family’s home in the West Bank as a "horrific act of terror."