Washington weighs resuming strikes on Iran on November 9, Fox News reports, as Riyadh denies a $51 billion Houthi demand

The United States is considering a resumption of military operations against Iran on November 9, according to Fox News sources cited by TASS. The sources said White House meetings on Wednesday and Thursday discussed the date, which falls on a new moon, a condition they described as favorable for military operations. They said US Central Command (CENTCOM) will soon finish preparations, though it has received no new order. On Thursday, President Donald Trump said he would soon decide whether to resume strikes, keep up economic pressure on Tehran, or pursue a negotiated settlement. US forces carried out limited strikes near the Strait of Hormuz hours before Tuesday's midterm elections, and Iranian officials have said a negotiated deal is unlikely.

The leak is useful to several parties at once. A public timetable puts pressure on Tehran before any talks. Russian state media gains from reporting it, because Moscow earns more from each dollar of war premium in crude. The account rests on unnamed sources, and no strike has been confirmed.

A separate story emerged in reporting on Yemen. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Houthis asked Saudi Arabia for $51 billion and recognition as Yemen's rulers in return for a "negotiated halt" to hostilities. The paper said Riyadh approached the group after attacks on Saudi tankers and Houthi gains on territory overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Saudi Arabia denied the report. Rayed Krimly, Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy, called it "pure fabrication by the writers or their alleged sources." Riyadh has reason to deny that it is negotiating a payment, and the Journal's account depends on people familiar with the talks. On the same day, the Saudi military said it shot down a ballistic missile.

In Israel, the domestic case for another round of strikes is weakening. Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in the October 27 election, short of the 61 needed for a majority, and President Isaac Herzog is set to give the mandate to form a government to Gadi Eisenkot. Ynet reports (in Hebrew) that Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, now says his party will "be flexible and compromise, also on the draft." That opens the way to a coalition that includes ultra-Orthodox parties but excludes Netanyahu.