[Salon] UK mission to defend Saudi Arabia adds Typhoon jets (10/20/26)

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/20/live-saudi-uk-raf-jets/

Middle East latest: UK to fly RAF missions defending Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

UK mission to defend Saudi Arabia adds Typhoon jets

RAF Typhoons will be used in UK 'defensive missions to support the protection of Saudi cities', a statement said. RAFRAF Typhoon fighter jets will be sent to defend Saudi cities and sites against aerial attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militant group.

"The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets," an official statement said. "These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis."

Britain said last month it would provide more defensive military assistance to ‌Saudi Arabia after ⁠renewed Houthi attacks, including an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft. ‌That announcement did not mention ⁠fighter jet support.

Iran says supertanker 'exploded' near Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed late on Tuesday that an oil supertanker had "exploded" near the Strait of Hormuz. 

The IRGC's naval forces said the tanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil had hit a naval mine and caught fire. 

It claimed the tanker had switched off its radar while trying to take an "unauthorised" route through the strait. 

Iranian President Pezeshkian meets Pakistan army chief in Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has met and held talks with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran today, Iran's Labour News Agency reported.

Netanyahu says toppling Iranian regime is key objective 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said toppling Iran’s government was the main objective of the conflict, adding that Israel could also reach a peace agreement with Lebanon.

“We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime – that is the main thing,” Mr Netanyahu said in remarks released by his office.

He said Israel had destroyed what he described as Iran’s “enormous terror facilities”, both underground and above ground, but stressed that the campaign was not over.

“Finishing the job means toppling the terror regime in Iran, that is the head of this venomous octopus,” he said. “You cut it off and it will fall.”

Mr Netanyahu said he had discussed the objective with US President Donald Trump more than once, most recently two days ago.

He said that as long as Iran’s current leadership remains in power, it could try to rebuild its nuclear programme and regional network of allies.

“The only way to prevent this is to topple that regime and then the elimination of Hezbollah will come in parallel,” he said.

Drone intercepted and destroyed over Riyadh, says Saudi-led coalition

The Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed a drone over Riyadh today, said its spokesman, Maj Gen Turki Al Malki.

Turkey submits Saudi-Pakistan defence pact to parliament

Turkey's parliament has received a bill for approval of the Makkah Defence Pact, Turkish state media reports.

The parliamentary foreign affairs committee will examine the pact before it goes to a vote in the wider assembly, TRT reported. 

Observers believe legislators will approve the bill but there is still no clear time frame for the process, a parliamentary source told The National.

Parliamentary approval is crucial because Turkish law requires it before Ankara can act on the pact – most imminently, whether it sends troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend against Houthi attacks.

The pact is part of a "strategic partnership" between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan that aims to "strengthen collective deterrence" and "enhance joint defence capabilities", Turkish government communications director Burhanettin Duran said in a statement on X.

UN rights chief warns Houthi siege of Taiz puts civilians in grave danger

People wait to fill up cooking gas cylinders in the south-western Yemeni city of Taiz. Reuters

The Houthis' closure of the only supply route linking Taiz to Aden in Yemen is putting civilians "at grave risk", UN human rights chief Volker Turk has warned.

The closure is “blocking humanitarian aid and cutting off essential supplies”, Mr Turk said. He called on Houthi fighters encircling the city of Taiz to allow humanitarian aid into the area immediately.

Mr Turk said 32 civilians had been confirmed killed across Taiz governorate, including 14 children and nine women, and warned that the risk of deaths and injuries was rising as fighting moved closer to densely populated areas.

The escalation follows the resumption of clashes in September between Houthi fighters and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, based in Aden. This ended a period of relative calm following the 2022 truce.

The situation in Taiz is particularly concerning because about half of those recently displaced by the violence have sought refuge in the governorate, the UN said.

UKMTO reports incident involving tanker and military forces near Oman's Duqm

The UK ⁠Maritime ⁠Trade Operations today said ⁠it had received a report ⁠of an incident involving ⁠a ‌tanker and military forces 225 km east of Duqm in Oman.

Death toll from attack on Yemen's Shabwa training centre rises to 73

The death toll from a Houthi attack on a training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province has risen to 73, the governor’s office said today.

Fourteen people remain missing following the missile attack at the Al Alam camp, which was being used to train security personnel and police, said the statement from Awad Al Wazir's office.

Mr Al Wazir reviewed the medical conditions of those injured in the attack.

UK should do more for Gulf allies and consider strikes on Houthis, says ex-defence secretary

'Gulf security is our security,' Michael Fallon told The National. Ahmed Ramzan / The National

Manus Cranny reports:

Britain should do more to help its allies in the Gulf, including considering strikes on the Houthis, because Washington's priorities have changed and its partners must now stand together, former UK defence secretary Michael Fallon has told The National.

The US, he said, is “shifting its priorities to homeland defence, to the Indo-Pacific. And therefore, it means that in terms of Washington, perhaps Europe and the Middle East count for less than they used to”.

That shift is structural, not a passing mood. “We've also seen a change in the United States,” Sir Michael said, recalling a country that “helped us win two world wars in Europe”.

With the Gulf and Europe pushed down Washington's list of priorities, the burden falls on the allies. “I think we should be doing more,” he said. “These are our partners and friends, and we should be helping more.”

For Britain, that means being ready to act against the Houthis. “That means, if necessary, we should be prepared to consider strikes as we did two years ago” he said, alongside the US and other European nations, as in the joint US-UK air campaign against Houthi targets that began in January 2024.

Qatar says Iran-US contact continues and war does not have military solution

Qatar has said communication between Iran and the US is continuing, emphasising that the conflict must be resolved through negotiation and warning that there is no military solution.

“Contacts and visits have not stopped, and the exchange of messages has continued, with the aim of reaching a solution as soon as possible,” Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, media director at Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, told a press briefing.

Qatar believes the crisis cannot be resolved militarily, he added. Mr Al Hashmi warned that the longer the escalation continued, the greater the cost to the region, the global economy and energy supplies.

He also warned that threats to cut internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz, along with incidents involving sea mines and oil spills, would primarily harm countries in the region, including Iran itself.

He said the security of the strait was integral to the security of the region and its people, noting that Gulf countries depend on the waters for desalination, navigation and the protection of marine resources.

Iran has a responsibility to protect the waters, to refrain from targeting them and to comply with international laws on freedom of navigation and environmental protection, he said.

IRGC claims two tankers hit mines and caught fire south of Hormuz

Two tankers caught fire and were brought to a ⁠halt south of the Strait ⁠of Hormuz after hitting ⁠Iranian ‌mines, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy claimed in a statement shared by state media today.

The statement did not say when the ‌tankers were ⁠hit, and also ‌said a ⁠US drone was ⁠downed by Iran yesterday night.

Pakistan's army chief arrives in Tehran to meet Iranian officials

Field Marshal Asim Munir arriving in Tehran. Photo: @PakistanFauj / X

Pakistan's ⁠army ⁠chief Field Marshal ⁠Asim Munir has arrived ⁠in Tehran with a delegation to meet senior Iranian officials, ‌Iran’s ⁠semi-official Mehr news ‌agency ⁠reported.

Rally Saudi Arabia event in November cancelled

Rally Saudi Arabia, originally scheduled to be held in Jeddah in November, will not take place as part of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, it has been announced.

In a joint statement, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and Saudi Motorsport Company said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment of the organisational and logistical requirements for hosting the event, including ensuring suitable conditions for participants and other stakeholders.

The announcement comes as hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis worsen.

Houthi ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh intercepted

The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia towards Riyadh.

Most Gulf bourses retreat after Houthis claim attacks on Saudi energy and airport sites

Most Gulf stock markets fell in early trade today after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed attacks on ⁠Saudi energy, airport and military sites ⁠on Monday.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index dropped 1.1 per cent, dragged down by a 1 per cent decline in Al Rajhi Bank and a 1.5 per cent decrease in the country's biggest lender by assets, Saudi National Bank .

Oil giant Saudi Aramco's shares were down 0.2 per cent.

In Qatar, the index dipped 0.7 per cent to 8,577, its lowest level in ‌over six years, with Qatar National Bank — the Gulf's biggest ⁠lender — retreating 1.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, Brent crude futures climbed 52 ⁠cents, or 0.47 per cent, to $110.07 a barrel by 06.28 GMT, after rising as high as $110.70 a barrel in the previous session to their highest since May 20.

Dubai's main share index eased 0.3 per cent, with utility firm Dubai Electricity and Water Authority falling 0.8 per cent.

The Abu Dhabi index, however, bucked the trend to trade 0.8 per cent higher.

Iran warns US against striking Pickaxe Mountain

The Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex next to the Natanz nuclear complex in Isfahan province, Iran. AFP

Iran has warned the US that any attack on Pickaxe Mountain, an underground facility near the Natanz nuclear complex, would be met with retaliation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed claims that the US could strike the site without a response, saying the idea was “nothing more than a claim”.

“Do you believe Iran would say ‘strike’ and we would remain silent?” Mr Baghaei told a news conference in Tehran. He added that “the era of hitting and running is over”.

Mr Baghaei said Iran would not leave any attack unanswered and warned that the US would suffer a blow at least equal in magnitude to any strike it carried out.

US President Donald Trump has threatened a possible strike on Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran is building a heavily fortified underground facility whose precise purpose remains unclear.

Saudi Arabia says danger has passed after Riyadh warning

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said the danger had passed in Riyadh after an alert of a potential threat was issued, as hostilities between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the kingdom worsen.

The authority urged residents to continue following Civil Defence instructions and avoid gathering or filming.

It also warned that filming, publishing or sharing information related to missile and drone interceptions or their impact sites could expose individuals to legal liability.

Hormuz could be 'redundant' in five years, HSBC chief says 

HSBC group chief executive Georges Elhedery. Reuters

Investment in alternative logistics routes in the Gulf to mitigate ⁠the impact of the Iran war could ⁠make the Strait of Hormuz "redundant" in the next five years, HSBC group chief executive Georges Elhedery said today.

The ⁠conflict has highlighted the world's reliance on the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade previously passed.

It ⁠is forcing Gulf nations to channel resources towards developing energy ⁠pipelines to ports, investments ‌that Mr Elhedery said would allow the region to weather the fallout from the conflict.

"We do see this region being able to recover and then continue growing. It will mean a lot of investment," he said during the HSBC Future Forum event in Dubai.

"Of course, we do wish and hope to see a resolution to the conflict ... But Hormuz, probably in five years' time, may become redundant," he added.

The Middle East, North Africa and Turkey are offering $872 billion in individual project packages, part of a wider $1.4 trillion planned and unawarded infrastructure pipeline, HSBC said in a report on Monday citing data from MEED, a Dubai-based construction industry market intelligence platform.

Netanyahu calls Trump Israel's 'greatest friend' in post-endorsement call 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Donald Trump the "greatest friend Israel ever had and will have in the White House", in a phone call after the US President endorsed him before the elections.

Referring to the war against Iran, Mr Netanyahu said the US and Israel have a "job to finish ... together".

In response, Mr Trump is heard saying: "You're the man I want by my side, Bibi."