Yemen

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has admitted for the first time publicly to Israel's killing of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, warning that the military would "decapitate" the leadership of Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Israel has confirmed its involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, marking a significant escalation in the region. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made the acknowledgment during a speech on Monday, issuing a direct warning to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Two US Navy pilots safely ejected over the Red Sea early Sunday after their F/A-18 fighter jet was accidentally shot down in what the US military described as a "friendly fire" incident. According to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), one of the pilots sustained minor injuries.

The U.S. Central Command for the Middle East and Africa (CENTCOM) announced that an F/A-18 fighter jet of the U.S. Navy was shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea in “an apparent case of friendly fire.”

The fighter jet was downed by a missile accidentally launched from the USS Gettysburg cruiser.

A rocket fired from Yemen struck the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, injuring 14 people, according to the Israeli military. Emergency services reported that paramedics treated those wounded by minor shrapnel injuries, with some transported to hospitals for further care. The military acknowledged failing to intercept the rocket, which caused alarm in one of Israel's most densely populated areas.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) revealed details of overnight airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen, conducted on Thursday morning. These strikes were part of a larger operation aimed at crippling the Houthi militia's maritime infrastructure and were described by the IDF as an "economic blow" to the group.

Israel said Thursday it struck ports and energy infrastructure used by Huthi rebels in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, warning Huthi leaders it "will reach you too."

Huthi media said the strikes hit power stations, oil facilities and the port of Al Hudaydah, causing deaths and injuries, without giving further details.

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike late Monday on a Houthi command and control facility in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the targeted site was used as a hub to coordinate the rebels' operations, including attacks on American naval vessels and merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Before this year, Tobias Kammann, a German container ship captain, had only once sailed around the southern tip of Africa, and the lack of other vessels in the little-trafficked waters made him feel very much alone.

But these days, there are so many ships there, he said, that "it's a bit like the autobahn."

Egypt plans to float up to four military-owned companies on the stock market as part of a broader privatization plan to attract investment and boost the economy, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has said. 

The government has been under pressure to sell stakes in state-owned companies under a bailout package secured from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December 2022.