Updated

Fighting between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed forces has sharply escalated, with the Houthis saying Saudi Arabia launched 26 strikes on their territory in 24 hours (300 over the past week), while Saudi authorities repeatedly issued and withdrew air-raid alerts for Riyadh, al-Kharj, Farasan and other regions after explosions were heard in the capital for the first time in the conflict. Saudi forces said they shot down a Houthi drone near Mecca, while video verified wreckage of a Saudi F-15 the Houthis claim to have downed over Yemen. Yemen's internationally recognized government accused the Houthis of attacking and looting Saudi-funded humanitarian and medical facilities on the western coast, as the Houthis reportedly move to seize Yemen's oil-rich east after taking the Red Sea coast, with thousands rallying in support of the Houthis in Sanaa. The intensifying war has hit global energy markets: drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline and the Red Sea port of Yanbu prompted Riyadh to cancel October crude oil shipments to at least two European refineries, adding to strains from the broader Gulf conflict.