The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said it intercepted a missile over Medina province in Saudi Arabia, thwarting a potential attack on the holy city.
Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack near a site used by Yemen's internationally recognised government in the port city of Aden, where at least two people were killed, according to an official. In Israel, a former head of the domestic security agency filed a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East on Thursday.
Houthis deny attacking holy city
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile over Medina province but did not identify who launched it.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig Gen Yahya Saree denied responsibility for the attack. The rebels had previously pledged not to target airports in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The latest fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route for oil supplies. The Saudi-led coalition, which supports forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government, has been trying to recapture those areas.
Houthis claim attack near government palace
Houthi-launched missiles and drones struck near a palace used by Yemen's recognised government in Aden on Thursday, killing at least two people, an official said.
Six others were wounded, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. The Iran-backed rebels, based in northern Yemen, quickly claimed responsibility.
Many members of Yemen's government live in exile, while officials based in Aden were safe, another government official said.
UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks
The UN Security Council strongly condemned continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, describing strikes against civilian airports and other facilities as reckless.
The 15-member council expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and affirmed the kingdom's right to self-defence under international law.
Former Israeli security chief sues Netanyahu
Ronen Bar, the former head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet, filed a defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of making false claims that he failed to pass on warnings about Hamas threats before the Oct 7, 2023, attack.
Bar is seeking 3 million shekels ($965,000) in damages in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
In a post on X last month, Netanyahu accused Bar of “failures and crimes” in the hours before the Hamas-led attack, in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The attack triggered a massive Israeli bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Netanyahu alleged that Bar knew about the threat from Hamas but failed to inform him, the military or civilian security agencies.
Bar described the accusations as “blood libel”, saying he had taken steps to update the prime minister's senior military advisers and the army before the attack. He also said his agency had issued warnings and recommendations in the months leading up to the assault that Netanyahu had repeatedly ignored.
Following the resignations of several senior security officials, including Bar, Netanyahu remains the only senior figure from the time of the Oct 7 attack still in office.
Israeli strike kills man in Gaza
An Israeli strike north of Gaza City killed a man, officials at Shifa Hospital said.
Israel's military said it had targeted a “terrorist” in the area but provided no further details.
The strike came more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, although Israeli attacks in Gaza have continued.
More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began in October last year, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. UN agencies and independent experts generally consider the ministry's figures reliable, although they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Syria sentences five over coastal violence
A Syrian court sentenced two people to death and three others to prison terms over their involvement in sectarian violence in the country's coastal region last year.
In March 2025, supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad attacked security forces belonging to Syria's new government in areas where a large part of the country's Alawite religious minority lives.
The government's subsequent counterinsurgency operation escalated into widespread violence, killing hundreds of civilians, most of them Alawites.
Two members of pro-Assad groups received death sentences, while a third was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Two members of the security forces were also given prison terms.