WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing the Trump administration to launch another round of strikes against Iran, officials told The Associated Press.
Iran said Monday that it had developed a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear negotiations with the United States. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, meanwhile, accused Saudi Arabia of attacking a port used for shipping.
Israel’s military said it was concluding a wide-ranging operation in Hebron after a shooting there killed two soldiers.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday.
Netanyahu pushes for strikes on Iran, officials tell AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advocating another wave of strikes against Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump has shifted between threatening a major military operation and pursuing a diplomatic agreement with Tehran.
The two officials said diplomatic efforts have advanced, with mediators working on a framework under which Iran would halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
Additional negotiations are expected this week. The officials spoke anonymously because they were discussing classified briefings received from American officials and an Israeli official.
Netanyahu urged Trump to authorize strikes during a weekend call, but Trump did not commit to military action, according to a person briefed on the conversation.
Other U.S. partners in the Middle East have cautioned against further strikes, warning that they could deepen instability across the region, a third regional official said.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond. The White House also did not directly answer questions about whether Netanyahu and Trump discussed possible new strikes during their weekend call.
— By Samy Magdy and Aamer Madhani
Iran outlines 2-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks
Iran said it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations with the United States within two days if Washington meets its demands.
Iran had previously said the plan could be carried out within a week if the United States fulfilled seven conditions, including ending its blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran now says vessels using the reopened strait would be required to follow a route jointly approved by Iran and Oman. Iranian officials have also said Washington must lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agree to a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the proposal remained the foundation for negotiations with Washington through mediators, despite the shortened timeline for implementation. “This once again demonstrates Iran’s good-faith approach,” he said.
Vessel struck while crossing the strait
A vessel traveling through the strait was hit by an “unknown projectile,” causing a hole in its hull, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said Monday. All crew members were safe, the agency reported.
Iran has claimed responsibility for attacks on vessels it says used unauthorized routes. It has also said other ships struck mines laid by the Islamic Republic during the early days of the war. The U.S. military denies that naval mines were responsible, saying American forces cleared all internationally recognized routes.
Blasts reported in Yemen as civilians flee renewed fighting
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of striking a port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and setting ships ablaze. Earlier, the Houthi-controlled health ministry said explosives hit a market in southwestern Yemen, killing seven people, including five children. Eight others were wounded, among them five children, ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbah said.
Saudi authorities did not immediately comment, and The Associated Press was unable to independently verify either claim.
The Houthis have also claimed recent attacks inside Saudi Arabia, saying they targeted an airport and military transport aircraft.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni military said a Houthi missile struck a medical center in the Madaribah district of Lahij province, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attack killed at least five people, including three medical workers, and injured 15 others, among them seven medical personnel, according to the Human Rights Ministry.
The ministry said another Houthi attack on a public market in Aqroudh village in Lahij killed and wounded 26 people in total, but did not provide a breakdown.
The latest violence is part of the Houthis’ continuing conflict with Yemeni government forces and their allies, worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis and forcing more residents from their homes.
China to dispatch special envoy to Iran and Gulf states
China said Monday that it plans to send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that the envoy’s mission would center on reducing tensions and supporting regional stability.
The initiative comes as Beijing seeks to increase its influence in a rapidly shifting Middle East, a region that supplies much of the oil China relies on.
Some Israeli forces leave Hebron after sweeping response to deadly shooting
The Israeli military said Monday that it had ended an operation in Hebron in the occupied West Bank that began last month after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. The military said it demolished the gunmen’s homes and seized weapons and vehicles it described as illegal.
The operation centered on the site of the shooting and displaced hundreds of Palestinians. Residents began returning Monday as some Israeli forces pulled back from one of the West Bank’s most tense cities. In Deir Bahha, some residents found their homes damaged during military raids.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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