Houthis attack Israel again - Iran threatens US universities

In the evening, a drone over the southern city of Eilat and a cruise missile were intercepted before reaching Israeli territory, reported the Times of Israel, citing the military. On Saturday morning, the militia had already fired a missile at the Jewish state. Meanwhile, Iran threatened to attack US universities in the region in retaliation for the alleged bombing of Iranian universities.

If the US government wants its universities in the region to be spared retaliatory measures, it must condemn the bombing of universities by 12 noon Tehran time on Monday, the Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted a statement by the Iranian elite force on the X platform. According to Iranian sources, the Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran had previously been targeted by bombings. There was initially no information about possible casualties.

Pakistan seeks de-escalation

Meanwhile, at the invitation of Pakistan, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are meeting today in Islamabad for two days of talks to discuss a possible de-escalation of the war that has been going on for a month. Pakistan shares a border of around 900 kilometers with Iran and has offered to mediate a possible end to the war since it spread to the Gulf states.

The foreign ministers are also due to meet Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In a telephone conversation with Iran's President Massud Peseshkian, the latter said he had reiterated "Pakistan's strong condemnation of Israel's ongoing attacks on Iran". He also informed him of Pakistan's efforts to facilitate dialog and de-escalation with the USA, friendly Gulf states and other Islamic countries. For example, Islambad exchanges messages between the USA and Iran.

According to Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, preparations are underway for a direct meeting between representatives of the USA and Iran. "This is likely to take place in Pakistan at very short notice in the near future," he said on Deutschlandfunk radio. According to his information, there had been indirect contacts. He called this the "first sign of hope, of confidence".

Iran allows Pakistani ships through Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, according to Pakistan, Iran is easing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for energy supplies, for certain ships. "The Iranian government has agreed to allow 20 more ships flying the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on X. According to him, two of these ships will pass through the strait every day. Dar spoke of a significant step towards peace.

The move is seen by observers as a confidence-building measure as part of the mediation efforts to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East. Since the beginning of the Israeli and US attacks on the country four weeks ago, Iran has been blocking the strait, through which large parts of the oil and gas transportation runs. The prices for these energy sources have risen sharply as a result.

More US Marines arrive in the Middle East

Meanwhile, more US naval forces have arrived in the Middle East. The amphibious assault ship "USS Tripoli" reached its area of operations on Friday, according to the US regional command responsible. Following the latest G7 talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the mission in Iran could be completed "in a few weeks, not months". The country's own war aims could be achieved without ground troops, he said. However, Rubio did not want to categorically rule out their use.

According to a spokesperson, the Israeli military in turn wants to have largely destroyed Iranian weapons production "in a few days". The armed forces would "complete the attacks on all important components of the (Iranian) military industry" during this period, army spokesman Effie Defrin said on Saturday evening. "This means that we will have destroyed most of the military production capacity."

Renewed attacks on Gulf states

Meanwhile, the Iranian counter-attacks continue. Several Gulf states again reported damage following attacks from Iran. According to the operator, a metal plant in the United Arab Emirates was severely damaged in an Iranian missile and drone attack. The plant is located in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi. According to the operator, an unspecified number of employees were injured.

Qatar reported early Saturday evening (local time) that the Gulf emirate had been the target of an attack by several drones launched from Iran during the course of the day. All drones were successfully intercepted, the Ministry of Defense added. Prior to this, Kuwait had already reported drone strikes. Some of the attacks had targeted the area around Kuwait International Airport and caused considerable damage to the radar system. There were no casualties.

Meanwhile, the residence of President Nechirvan Barsani was attacked in the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of Iraq. Barsani told the Kurdish media portal "Rudaw" that the attack in the city of Duhok on Saturday represented "a dangerous escalation for the whole of Iraq".

At the same time, more than half a dozen drone attacks were registered in the Kurdistan Region, according to "Rudaw". So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Most recently, both Iran and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq had claimed responsibility for attacks on the Kurdish region. The USA blamed "proxies of the Iranian terror militias in Iraq".