The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen stated that a Houthi drone struck an electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, impacting a facility that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque. The alleged attack triggered widespread condemnation across the Muslim world. Meanwhile, fighting has intensified across Yemen, with government forces reporting multiple overnight airstrikes on Houthi targets and journalists hearing explosions in Sanaa. The Houthis have denied any involvement in the Medina drone strike. Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, stated that wreckage and investigations confirmed the Houthi militia planned and executed the strike, which knocked out a transformer without disrupting the broader power network. Concurrently, President Trump asserted during a speech in Denton, Texas, that Iran is prepared to fold and predicted the conflict would conclude right after the U.S. midterm elections in November. Trump stated that energy prices would decline rapidly and emphasized that the U.S. campaign would swiftly bring an end to the situation. In response to regional escalations, a U.S. official confirmed that the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Group are heading to the Middle East. This movement could bring the total U.S. presence to three carrier strike groups and two amphibious ready groups in the region simultaneously. Around 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines are part of the deployment, raising total U.S. forces in the area to approximately 20,000 personnel. President Trump also suggested a possible link between Iran and an attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight, noting that authorities are investigating whether the co-pilot had connections to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and warning of severe retaliation if Tehran’s involvement is proven.
Source: cbsnews.com
