Iran-backed Houthi rebels clash with Yemeni government forces and other Mideast developments

Iran-backed Houthi rebels clash with Yemeni government forces and other Mideast developments 1 of 3 | Dark oil residue collects in shallow coastal waters on Qeshm Island, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, amid ongoing wartime attacks on vessels and infrastructure in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though the spill’s source has not been independently determined.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP) 2 of 3 | Dark oil residue stains the water and shoreline around mangrove trees on Qeshm Island, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, amid ongoing wartime attacks on vessels and infrastructure in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though the spill’s source has not been independently determined.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP) 3 of 3 | Oil residue lines the shore near fishing boats on Qeshm Island, Iran, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, amid ongoing wartime attacks on vessels and infrastructure in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though the spill’s source has not been independently determined.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP) By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Updated 1:50 PM MESZ, August 13, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces in Yemen raged overnight Thursday as renewed violence continues to spread and feed growing fears that the country’s civil war could reignite and create a new front in the Middle East war. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Yemeni soldier killed in clashes with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels At least one government soldier was killed and another critically wounded in clashes between Houthi rebels and the military in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told The Associated Press. The fighting came as part of a spate of recent attacks by the Houthis on government-held areas across the country. Dozens of government troops have been killed in attacks since last week, the Yemeni military said. Elsewhere, several tribal leaders in the central province of Marib said the Yemeni army artillery targeted overnight Houthi movements. The Houthis have been hitting government-held areas with drones and missiles, saying they have been targeting military forces and warehouses. They have also been attacking oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea. On Tuesday, they hit a commercial ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, killing six people. Possible Strait of Hormuz deal, a large attack in Yemen and other Mideast news 3 MIN READ 77 Iranian-backed Houthis kill 6 in attack on vessel, and other developments in the Mideast 3 MIN READ 44 Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign a mutual defense deal, and other Middle East news 3 MIN READ 44 With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil. Three Pakistanis were among the dead in the ship attack, and Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that one of its nationals was missing after the attack and two were wounded. Strait of Hormuz oil spill causing growing environmental concerns Iran was working to clean up an oil spill off Qeshm Island, which lies off the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the environmental damage being caused by the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei suggested Iran should receive compensation for its efforts to control the spill, writing on X that anyone who “benefits from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is obligated, both legally and morally, to take action to compensate for — and remedy — the environmental damage.” Images distributed by Iran’s semiofficial news agency ISNA showed oil damage to Qeshm’s beaches. Iran has not said how the spill was caused, but the firm TankerTrackers.com posted satellite images on X saying it appears an Iranian attack on a bulk carrier off Oman was behind it. The spillage then drifted across the strait to Iran, the company said. In his post on X, Baghaei asked who should be responsible for compensation. “The countries that benefit from the cheap energy exported from our region? The shipping insurance companies?” he asked. “Or the aggressors and their partners who have turned the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman into an arena for military operations and testing of highly destructive weapons?” Oman is in the middle of responding to another spill in the Arabian Sea, coming from a tanker grounded off its southern coast, well away from the Strait of Hormuz. No party has claimed responsibility for the incident and the cause of a reported explosion has not been revealed. Environmental experts said an oil spill has been spreading quickly in recent weeks from the partially submerged tanker off the shores of Qabiliyah Island, endangering a marine protected area there. American ambassador to Israel condemns settlers’ siege of Palestinian homes The U.S. ambassador to Israel condemned a siege by Israeli settlers of a Palestinian-American family’s home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, calling it a “horrific act of terror.” Mike Huckabee’s remarks on X represented an unusually sharp rebuke from the Trump administration of the latest episode during a spike in clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the region. Starting Sunday, settlers targeted three homes in the village of Qusra, throwing stones and trapping occupants from leaving despite dwindling supplies. On Thursday morning, Qusai Abu Rida — the brother of the Palestinian-American homeowner who had holed up in the house with his own teenage son to defend it — said they were moved by Israel’s military to another home but still cannot leave the area.