Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Monday that it would “change the geography of the war” if the United States escalates the conflict. Meanwhile, the British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew members. The Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is available here. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issues warning if U.S. escalates war A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Mohebbi, said Monday that “the war is not over” and warned that Iran would change its weapons, military tactics and targets if the conflict with the U.S. escalates. “We will certainly change the geography of the war,” Mohebbi said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. “We will certainly bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battle.” He said the Guard had prepared for a long-term war. “Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran has targets that have not yet been struck. The more than six-month war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The conflict has included repeated attacks and efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting, with no agreement reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or revive talks over Iran’s nuclear program. U.K. to offer Saudi Arabia aerial refueling to counter Houthi attacks U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Britain has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to repeal attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Burnham told reporters as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he had agreed the U.K. Royal Air Force will provide air-to-air refuelling of Saudi planes. The agreement is for a matter of weeks, but Burnham said it will be kept under review. The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has reignited, with Houthis aiming missile and drone strikes at Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted. Projectile strikes tanker passing through Strait of Hormuz, British military says The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries. The UKMTO said Monday the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental impact at this time. Tehran has asserted control over much of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. In peacetime, about 20 million barrels -- roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply -- passed through Hormuz each day. Some tankers are again traversing the strait, but traffic is well below what it once was. Houthi leader lashes out at Saudis in televised speech In Yemen, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels used the anniversary of his group’s overthrow of the Yemeni government to lash out at Saudi Arabia. In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi said his group’s demands include an end to what he called Saudi “aggression” and the blockade the Saudi-led coalition has imposed on the rebels for about a decade. “Stop the aggression and end the blockade. Our demands represent the legitimate rights of our people,” he said in the speech aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah channel. The Houthis descended from their stronghold in northern Yemen, taking over the capital of Sanaa in September 2014 and forcing the country’s government into exile in Saudi Arabia. The following year, Saudi Arabia led a multi-national coalition that entered the war in an attempt to restore the government. The coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on the Houthi-held areas, as part of its war efforts. WHO reports 680 new casualties in a week in Yemen The World Health Organization says 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen over the course of a week as fighting between the Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces continues. WHO said on Monday in a post on X that 164 people were killed and 516 injured between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. This brings the total number of casualties since Aug. 6 to 3,672, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries. Lahj province in southwestern Yemen is currently an active front line where 58 deaths and 226 injuries were reported within six days, according to the UN agency. Fighting in Yemen displaces nearly 130,000 people Fighting between the Houthis and government forces has so far displaced 129,438 people across seven provinces, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says. The IOM said in an update Monday that people escaping the conflict inside the country were forced from their homes in only a few weeks, with many already fleeing more than once. Israeli military on guard on Jewish faith’s holiest day Israel’s military remained on alert even as the country woke up to the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith. Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. “For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler Sunday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian suspect was detained after a search. ------ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
