US pulls diplomats from Saudi Arabia; Hebron operation; Vanuatu quakes; Taiz siege
The US ordered diplomats out of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, saying Iran is in advanced stages of planning attacks on Americans, while Israel launched an operation in Hebron after two soldiers were killed. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near Vanuatu with tsunami information issued, and the UN reported heavy civilian tolls in Sudan and a worsening siege in Yemen's Taiz.
On Saturday the US ordered diplomats and other federal employees to leave Saudi Arabia and began drawing down staff at other regional missions. Officials say Iran is in advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans. On Friday, European and Middle Eastern ministers meeting in Istanbul urged US-Iran diplomacy and warned against new attacks, and reports said US reinforcements were moving to the region.
The Israeli army launched what it calls a 'targeted' operation in Hebron early on Saturday after a shooting at a military checkpoint killed two soldiers. On Friday Netanyahu vowed a massive West Bank operation and his office ordered the army to prepare a full closure of the territory. The UN said it was extremely alarmed by intensifying violence in the occupied West Bank.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 200 km west of Sola at 10 km depth early on Saturday UTC, and tsunami information was issued. A magnitude 6.9 quake was recorded nearby, followed by a series of aftershocks including a 6.3 and several above magnitude 5.
UN rights chief Volker Türk condemned an escalation of drone strikes across Sudan that killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds more in the first three weeks of October. Peace talks resumed in Geneva this week aiming for a ceasefire.
The UN says more than 800,000 people have been cut off from aid since the Houthis encircled Taiz city in early October. A hospital in Taiz warned on Saturday it could collapse within days, with dialysis sessions already shortened amid shortages of fuel, medicines and oxygen.
Romania blames Russia for a drone attack that sank the Comoros-flagged Khoryv near its waters, killing one sailor with three missing. Putin said Russia is ready to resume three-way talks with Ukraine and the US on a final deal, not a short truce. The White House said a localised ceasefire would take effect in Oleshky, which neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 70,000 security forces would be mobilised on Saturday, while gatherings were banned and curfews extended in French cities. Separately, prosecutors are treating a shooting in Trappes that killed at least one person and wounded four as a suspected terrorist attack.