Gulf mediators and Iran agree to keep talking as US strike threat looms Israel votes at record turnout in election too close to call Congo Ebola cases pass 10,000 as neighbours tighten quarantine Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh Oleshky truce holds as Nordic leaders speak with Putin Drone strikes kill 21 in Nyala and cut power across Sudan as states warn of famine Church reports 60 Orthodox Christians killed in two Oromia attacks India evacuates eastern coast as very severe Cyclone Arnab nears landfall Jordan strikes southern Syria after church attack, Damascus protests Anthropic's IPO filing shows heavy losses and warns of existential risks Russian strikes damage Kyiv's South Bridge and cut power in seven regions Flávio Bolsonaro leaves for US as Brazil cancels his passports Oil holds near $115 while gas, fuel costs and inflation stay high China's AI stocks keep falling despite state support French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending AI stocks rebound as Meta raises equity and Anthropic files for IPO Hebron displacement nears 5,000 as officers expect pullout after vote Two men charged over RAF Fairford incident Student List wins Serbian election as Croatia demands acknowledgement of 1990s wars Indonesia and Singapore plan haze task force amid tensions Brazil's real suffers worst day in over 25 years after Lula comeback Iran threatens legal action against Sinokor ships over Hormuz UN commission says Israel continued genocide in Gaza after ceasefire Gas exporters meet in Moscow as Iranian and Qatari leaders hold talks Indonesian bond yield hits four-year high as MSCI risk and oil weigh French consumer confidence hits 13-year low amid protests Gulf mediators and Iran agree to keep talking as US strike threat looms Israel votes at record turnout in election too close to call Congo Ebola cases pass 10,000 as neighbours tighten quarantine Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh Oleshky truce holds as Nordic leaders speak with Putin Drone strikes kill 21 in Nyala and cut power across Sudan as states warn of famine Church reports 60 Orthodox Christians killed in two Oromia attacks India evacuates eastern coast as very severe Cyclone Arnab nears landfall Jordan strikes southern Syria after church attack, Damascus protests Anthropic's IPO filing shows heavy losses and warns of existential risks Russian strikes damage Kyiv's South Bridge and cut power in seven regions Flávio Bolsonaro leaves for US as Brazil cancels his passports Oil holds near $115 while gas, fuel costs and inflation stay high China's AI stocks keep falling despite state support French student groups reject concessions as finance minister rules out new spending AI stocks rebound as Meta raises equity and Anthropic files for IPO Hebron displacement nears 5,000 as officers expect pullout after vote Two men charged over RAF Fairford incident Student List wins Serbian election as Croatia demands acknowledgement of 1990s wars Indonesia and Singapore plan haze task force amid tensions Brazil's real suffers worst day in over 25 years after Lula comeback Iran threatens legal action against Sinokor ships over Hormuz UN commission says Israel continued genocide in Gaza after ceasefire Gas exporters meet in Moscow as Iranian and Qatari leaders hold talks Indonesian bond yield hits four-year high as MSCI risk and oil weigh French consumer confidence hits 13-year low amid protests

Symbolic image: Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh

Symbolic image

Houthis claim missile strike on Ras Tanura as Egypt backs Riyadh

12 sources

The Houthis said on Tuesday they hit Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery with a ballistic missile. They called Egypt's military backing for Riyadh a declaration of war.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike on Tuesday, 27 October, started a fire at the kingdom's biggest refinery. Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that Saudi Arabia contained a fire near the terminal, while the security firm Vanguard Tech told Le Monde the damage is still unclear. The Houthis also claimed hits on the defence ministry in Riyadh and on air bases, which Saudi Arabia has not confirmed. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles and four drones.

Egypt's backing

Egypt's parliament authorised the military on Monday, 26 October, to help defend Saudi Arabia; President al-Sisi has called the aid purely defensive. Houthi politburo member Mohammed Ali al-Houthi wrote on Telegram that Egypt thereby declares war on the Republic of Yemen.

Fighting near Bab al-Mandab

The Houthis said they repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces near the strait. Earlier this month those forces had pushed the Houthis out of coastal areas seized in September.

Other opinions

Telesur describes Egypt's step as backing for Saudi "aggression and economic blockade against Yemen"; TASS reports only the Houthi claim of major fires.