Iran-backed militias in Iraq have not claimed any attacks in the region since the resumption of hostilities between the US and Iran this month, after an April ceasefire broke down, but Saudi Arabia was repeatedly targeted by the groups at the height of the war with Iran that erupted in February.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Separately, Iran\u2019s Houthi allies in Yemen said they had targeted transit sites carrying oil west to Saudi Arabia\u2019s main Red Sea oil port of Yanbu, in retaliation for what it said were Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.<\/p>\n Riyadh did not immediately comment on the Houthis\u2019 claims, which came after several days of strikes traded between the two sides. The fighting rekindled when the latter announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia\u2019s oil industry in the Red Sea, sending oil prices even higher.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities in Yemen\u2019s Hodeidah port, saying it would protect shipping.<\/p>\n \t The latest flare-up between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis marked the first time in years that the two sides have traded blows, threatening a 2022 truce that has held despite expiring.<\/p>\n Jordan also reported that its forces shot down two drones, and Iraqi security sources reported a series of drone attacks on camps housing Iranian opposition Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.<\/p>\n Neither Jordanian nor Iraqi officials identified the sources of those drones.<\/p>\n Jordan and northern Iraq were the locations where four US service members were killed during the two-week air campaign, which US President Donald Trump suspended abruptly over the weekend after his top brass advised him that the strategy had run its course.<\/p>\n Iran has said it will pause its own attacks for as long as Trump\u2019s self-imposed ceasefire continues. But it also said it was still in control of the contested Strait of Hormuz, and was not seeking to resume peace talks with the US.<\/p>\n The US and Israel on February 28 launched a joint bombing campaign on the Islamic Republic in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.<\/p>\n Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region and by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about a fifth of the world\u2019s commercial oil shipments. Hezbollah joined the fighting in support of Iran, by opening fire on Israel.<\/p>\n The fighting entered a truce on April 8, and the US and Iran last month reached a memorandum of understanding for peace talks. Israel was not a party to the agreement or the talks. The US has since attacked Iran in response to the Islamic Republic\u2019s continued attacks on Hormuz shipping.<\/p>\n After 13 successive nights of bombing, Trump ordered an end to the campaign. The US ambassador to the United Nations described it as a move to allow room for negotiations with Tehran.<\/p>\n \t But the spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, said in a televised press conference on Monday<\/a> that Iran had not asked to resume peace talks with the US.<\/p>\n Messages were still being passed between the sides through mediators and Iran had not forsaken diplomacy, but \u201creports about Iran requesting negotiations with the US are fabricated,\u201d Baghaei claimed. \u201cThis is not in our DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n Tehran also indicated it was still in control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tThis handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the oil infrastructure at Saudi Arabia\u2019s western Red Sea port of Yanbu on March 4, 2026. (2026 Planet Labs PBC \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26070739836329-e1778570060101.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUnited States Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, March 11, 2026. (Seth Wenig\/AP)<\/p>\n
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