Tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel have reportedly escalated, with analysts suggesting that covert intelligence operations may significantly influence the potential for renewed conflict. While Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei, have stated that they will not relinquish enriched uranium and have linked diplomatic progress to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the extent of current intelligence activities remains unverified.

Yemen's Houthi movement claimed a ballistic missile strike on a Saudi coalition site near Aden airport on Wednesday, a claim corroborated by a police official and two security sources who reported a blast at the location. This incident marks the third reported attack on the city in a week, following earlier strikes on the airport perimeter and the presidential compound, amid ongoing clashes between Houthi fighters and government forces in the region.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was struck by an unverified projectile off the coast of Oman, resulting in a fire, though all crew members are reportedly safe and no environmental impact has been confirmed. This incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy corridor that has seen increased tensions and vessel targeting since the onset of the Middle East conflict in late February.

Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked a Saudi position in the city of Aden on Wednesday, with smoke seen rising near the airport, in the third attack in a week on the seat of power of Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government. “Our armed forces were able to target the Saudi enemy’s operations room in the Badr camp in Aden with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

A police official in Aden earlier told AFP there had been a blast “caused by a Houthi missile”, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Two other security sources in the city told AFP the attack targeted a site near the airport that belonged to forces from the Saudi-led military coalition that has been battling the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised Yemeni government have recently come under sustained attack from the Iran-backed Houthis, shifting the focus of the wider Middle East war that erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. On Friday, two missiles landed within the perimeter of the airport, with the Houthis claiming the attack.

A day earlier, the Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, hitting command centres located inside the Al-Maashiq presidential compound, which is used by government forces and the Saudi-led coalition. In July, a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in defiance of Riyadh’s control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.

Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before seizing government-held territory in Yemen along the Red Sea coastline in a lightning campaign. In response, the Saudi air force has been regularly targeting the Houthis in support of the Yemeni government.