Houthi Missiles Kill at Least 53 Recruits in Yemen as Egypt Delays a Vote on Defending Saudi Arabia

Houthi forces fired three ballistic missiles at a government training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province, killing at least 53 people and wounding 200, Dawn reported. The missiles hit the Al-Alam camp north of the provincial capital, Ataq, while new recruits for a force called Rapid Intervention prepared for training, according to the Saudi Gazette. The Houthis acknowledged that they targeted the camp. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that Saudi Arabia cancelled a major summit after the attack.

The conflict has now spread into Saudi Arabia itself. Dawn reported that US embassies across the region urged "heightened vigilance," that Riyadh residents received a "hostile aerial threat" warning, and that government staff were told to work from home. Earlier this month Houthi missiles and drones struck King Khalid International Airport on consecutive days, and France 24 reported that a Saudi Aramco building was hit.

Egypt has not yet agreed to send forces. Its parliament postponed until October 26 a vote on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's request to send air-defense forces and logistical support to Saudi Arabia, Middle East Online reported. The constitution requires a two-thirds majority for combat missions abroad. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party told its lawmakers to abstain, saying parliament had not received details of the mission's scope, cost or risks.

Hegseth also made an unannounced visit to Israel and met Netanyahu, Investing.com reported, citing Axios. Axios said the meeting took place at Ovda Air Base, eight days before Israel's October 27 election, as the two governments discuss resuming major combat operations against Iran. Globes noted that the Pentagon had not announced the trip and quoted Trump as saying the Iranian government had killed "at least 75,000 protesters" in the past eight months. Iranian state media has not accepted that figure, and it could not be independently verified. Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry, told Al-Arabiya that the world may already be living through "the first year of a Third World War," Kommersant reported.