Houthis ban Saudi shipping as US-Iran strikes continue
Houthi commander al-Qadiri enforces navigation ban on Saudi Arabia, while UN condemns Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Houthis ban Saudi shipping as US-Iran strikes continue — The Houthi coastal defense forces commander, Major General Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri, announced on Monday afternoon that a ban on maritime navigation for Saudi Arabia had come into effect.[^1] The move escalates the Red Sea theater even as the US-Iran conflict enters its tenth night. Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights office on Tuesday condemned Israeli strikes in Gaza that it said killed at least 57 Palestinians, including six children and eight women, in the past week.[^2] On the ground in Gaza, Israeli military vehicles advanced into the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City.[^3] Obeida Shreir, a resident, said his family was forced to leave their home after a brief return. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that hospitals had received 10 martyrs in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the ceasefire on October 11 to 1,168 martyrs.[^4] In a separate development, the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brussels-based pro-Palestinian organization, filed an urgent criminal complaint with the Belgian federal prosecutor against an IDF veteran attending a music festival in Belgium.[^5] The complaint underscores the expanding legal front against Israeli military personnel abroad. Iran researcher Beni Sabti told 103FM that Iran is avoiding a broad direct attack on Israel because it fears Israeli strikes on senior regime figures and institutions vital to its survival.[^6] This assessment aligns with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's statement on Tuesday that he is in direct contact with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and that their interaction is 'increasing day by day.' The question now is whether the Houthi ban will draw Saudi Arabia deeper into a conflict it has tried to avoid. Haredi draft tensions and mental health stigma: Israeli society at a breaking point — Mushka Meshulam visited the grave of her brother Yosef Chaim Dashif, killed in a car accident at age 9, for the first time in 26 years. 'The loss intensifies,' she said.[^1] Her private grief unfolded against a backdrop of public turmoil: this morning, government employees in Jerusalem blocked entrances to the Mi