Saudi Arabia said to have executed a Bangladeshi man and woman for “indecent acts” inside a mosque in Mecca. Bangladesh said it was not informed in advance of the executions.
Meanwhile, Israeli police arrested 10 suspects in a wave of violence against settlers who targeted an American journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, along with Iran-backed Houthi rebels, have announced attacks in Yemen and across Saudi Arabia.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East this Monday. Read our full coverage here.
Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshis for ‘indecent acts’
Saudi Arabia has executed two Bangladeshi nationals, a man and a woman, after they were found guilty of “indecent acts” at a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
Bangladesh said it was not informed before the sentences were carried out and requested information from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Interior Ministry said the Bangladeshis were executed due to “the seriousness and seriousness of their actions in violation of the sanctity of time and place.” It was not specified.
Israel arrests 10 suspects following settler violence
Police said 10 suspects were arrested Monday following a series of violent attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, sparking strong criticism of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli police have not identified who attacked the people who came to support the Palestinians during their annual olive harvest.
Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten Friday by a mob of young male settlers while documenting the scene, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae. Masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats on Saturday. Palestinians have faced increasing attacks, rarely leading to arrests or punishment, rights groups say.
Netanyahu’s main rival in the October 27 election, Gadi Eisenkot, called him a “Jewish terror,” telling X that “a handful of criminals are burning the last shreds of legitimacy left to the State of Israel.”
Commercial deliveries to Gaza to resume, says Israel
The Israeli military announced Monday that it would resume coordinating the entry of commercial trucks into Gaza, but warned that future reports of traders paying taxes to Hamas would result in their licenses being revoked.
Commercial trucks have not entered the strip since Wednesday, cutting off the flow of food and necessary goods into the territory. COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees humanitarian affairs in Gaza, cited disagreements between Hamas and traders over taxes, and claimed to be communicating a decision taken by traders.
Gaza truckers said Israel was using the disagreement as a pretext to fight Hamas’ tax efforts. They said Gaza officials called the money a “donation” intended to pay civil servants rather than taxes. COGAT said Monday that Hamas had withdrawn its demands.
Houthis claim attacks across Saudi Arabia and strike Yemeni military camp, killing 53
Supported by Iran Houthi rebels killed at least 53 soldiers Monday in ballistic missile strikes on a Yemeni military camp, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Saudi-backed government forces since rebels broke a 2022 ceasefire in The civil war in Yemen. The strikes on the al-Alam military camp also injured 200 recruits, the Shabwa provincial government said.
The Houthi rebels also claimed on Monday to have carried out six military operations targeting oil infrastructure, airports and military sites across Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities say recent Houthi missile and drone attacks have killed 19 people and injured more than 350 others. Saudi Civil Defense issued new danger alerts in parts of the kingdom on Monday.
Iran will respond forcefully to new US attacks, official says
An advisor to the Supreme Guide Mojtaba Khamenei says Iran will respond forcefully to any further US attacks.
Conservative politician Mohammad Mokhber said Iran would hit “nine countries” if Iranian bases or “petrochemical” facilities were struck again. His comments recorded and published by Tasnim, a semi-official news agency close to the Revolutionary Guards, did not name the countries.
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 4, including teenagers
Three separate Israeli strikes hit Gaza City, killing at least two people, according to Shifa Hospital, and two 17-year-olds were killed in another strike on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants in each of the attacks on Gaza City. He did not comment on the other attack. Israel continues to launch deadly attacks on the enclave more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement.
UK warns businesses against helping build Israeli settlements
Britain’s top diplomat has warned companies they could breach international law if they take part in building new Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Their construction has increased under the government of Netanyahu, who views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the E1 settlement project approved by Israelwhich would cut the West Bank in two, “poses a direct threat to the prospect of a two-state solution.”
The British government has banned trade with Israeli settlements and found a way to sanction the companies that maintain them. Israel’s top diplomat responded by saying his country would not be “intimidated by threats.”
Iran joins Russia, rejects German accusations of attack on Jewish leader
Iran’s top security official called for closer cooperation with Russia to strengthen regional security after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said cooperation could include joint economic projects, such as completing transportation corridors. Lavrov, meanwhile, condemned US-Israeli military attacks on Iran as illegal.
Also in Tehran on Monday, Iran summoned the German ambassador over what he called baseless accusations, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. Germany summoned Iran’s ambassador to Berlin the same day after a court convicted two men linked to Iranian intelligence for plotting to assassinate the leader of a Jewish organization in Germany.
Iranian president says his country has no ‘fundamental disagreements’ with its neighbors
President Masoud Pezeshkian also said Iran was willing to resolve tensions through dialogue, blaming US interference for divisions in the region, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during Monday’s meeting with Lavrov, saying the presence of US military bases in neighboring countries has only increased tensions, instability and insecurity.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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