I’m going to do another quick and dirty run through the West Asian war developments I could confirm, plus some tabloid coverage of the Saudi Crown Prince (never a good sign) and some YouTube videos.
Help for the Saudis?
Egypt’s parliament met in an emergency closed session Sunday on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s request for authorisation to help defend Saudi Arabia, then put off the vote. Two lawmakers told AFP that deliberations resume Monday, and Mada Masr reports the vote is now set for Tuesday.
Under Article 152 of Egypt’s constitution, a combat mission abroad needs the approval of two-thirds of the House. Earlier Sunday, Egypt’s National Defence Council, chaired by Sisi, agreed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself and pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” for the kingdom’s territory, security and holy sites.
The statement did not mention troops, but MP and TV host Mostafa Bakry said the council approved sending forces on “a defensive mission.”
Sanaa’s parliament speaker, Yahya al-Ra’i, had warned his Egyptian counterpart that being dragged into the war “would pose a grave danger to [Egypt’s] national security and internal stability before anyone else’s.” On Sunday evening, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone with Araghchi about “reducing tensions,” and Egypt’s stock market tumbled.
I missed it on Thursday, but Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias made an unannounced trip to Riyadh to meet Mohammed bin Salman and Khalid bin Salman, then visited the Greek Patriot battery that has been guarding the Yanbu oil hub since 2021 and announced it will stay. The Greeks have previously claimed to have intercepted missiles from Yemen aimed at Yanbu.
Meanwhile, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman flew to Abu Dhabi on Sunday “at the direction of the leadership”. He met UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and Vice President Mansour bin Zayed.
The readouts name no agreement and don’t mention the Guardian’s report that the UAE will resume paying the Giants Brigades and other forces in southern Yemen under Saudi air cover.
The Guardian adds that the Southern Transitional Council hasn’t agreed to fight beyond the old South Yemen border, that neither Riyadh nor Abu Dhabi has answered the separatists’ demand for a secession referendum, and that STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi is still in Abu Dhabi with no direct contact with Saudi officials.
Analyst Sami Hamdi says Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed are lobbying Trump against each other’s plans for Yemen: “Bin Salman wants support against the Houthis. Bin Zayed wants recognition for partition (which requires Houthis to keep the pressure on Saudi).”
MBS Makes the Tabloids
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s opulent lifestyle has become the subject of a Daily Mail tabloid expose complete with photos of MBS with Jeffrey Epstein, Mark Zuckerberg, Jared Kushner, and POTUS Trump as well as a shot of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which fetched a record $450.3million, then around £340million, at auction in 2017 and is “linked” to MBS:
With a £400million ($533million USD) superyacht, a French chateau dubbed the world’s most expensive home and links to a record-breaking £340million painting, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince has long been associated with staggering extravagance.
But Mohammed bin Salman, 41, is now sheltering in heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers as Houthi rebels bombard Riyadh, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The reported retreat offers a stark contrast to the gilded lifestyle of the kingdom’s de facto ruler, whose purchases have included a floating palace with two helipads and a mansion with iPhone-controlled fountains, and whose celebrity connections include Johnny Depp and Lindsay Lohan.
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That wealth once reportedly saw him purchase the 439ft superyacht Serene in 2015 after spending just half a day on board. He paid a Russian vodka tycoon €429million ($572million USD), then around £383million ($511million USD), roughly twice its original price.Alongside its two helicopter pads, the vessel boasts an underwater viewing chamber, a cinema, a giant jacuzzi and a sweeping spiral staircase overlooking a grand piano.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates had previously rented the yacht for $5million, then around £3.8million a week, according to reports.
According to Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck’s book Blood And Oil, a former helicopter hangar was turned into a nightclub with poles for dancers.
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MBS’s reported spending spree that year also included Chateau Louis XIV near Versailles, bought for more than $300million, then around £230million.Described at the time as the world’s most expensive home, the property looks like a 17th-century palace but is a modern mansion built after a developer demolished its 19th-century predecessor.
Set in 57 acres of landscaped grounds, it features gilded interiors, frescoed ceilings, a cinema and a swimming pool.
An underwater chamber in its moat allows visitors to watch fish swimming overhead, while fountains, lighting and air-conditioning can be controlled by iPhone.
The grounds also include a maze and lavish fountains. Kim Kardashian reportedly considered the chateau as a venue for her wedding to Kanye West.
Saudi Arabia and Yemen Engage In Thriving Cross-Border Trade of Ordnance
Saudi warplanes struck the home of the al-Qahm family in al-Tuwaila, Sahar district, Saada, killing 10, including five children and three women, and wounding 23, according to Al Masirah; the Health Ministry later put the toll at 33 killed and wounded.
Other strikes killed a woman in Dhi al-Sufal, Ibb, hit a house in al-Shamayatayn, Taiz, a water tank in al-Dhale and a farm in Hodeidah, and Saudi artillery shelled the Shada border district.
Yahya Saree counted 110 Saudi airstrikes and missiles in 24 hours, by F-15s and Typhoons flying from Khamis Mushait and Taif, for a total of 2,652 since the escalation began. The Health Ministry says Saudi attacks have killed or wounded 536 people between 3 September and 18 October, 117 of them in the last three days.
In Saudi Arabia, Civil Defense says a projectile fell on a residential area of Najran, injuring six citizens and damaging three homes and three vehicles.
Alerts sounded early Sunday in Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, and later in Najran and Abha.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, due to reopen Saturday, remains closed for an eighth day, with more than 6,000 flights disrupted since 10 October.
The Saudi-led coalition admitted that a National Guard AH-6i helicopter went down in Najran, killing both officers aboard, which spokesman Turki al-Maliki blamed on “a technical malfunction.”
Yahya Saree then released footage of the AH-6i being shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. Saree’s first statement, which I quoted yesterday, called it an Apache; the AH-6i is the “Little Bird.” Al-Maliki answered with a photo of Saudi Apaches and the line “You claim to have shot it down, but it will enter the battlefield soon.”
Late Sunday, Iraqi outlets Naya and Sabreen News reported explosions in Jeddah disrupting flights at King Abdulaziz International Airport, and SNN reported several explosions and flights suspended.
Ansar Allah Showing Their Work in Yemen
On the ground, Ansar Allah forces blew up a bridge at Haigat al-Abd on the Taiz–Lahij–Aden road, while the Saudi-aligned Tur al-Bahah axis said eight of its soldiers were killed in al-Maqatirah, Lahij. Taiz city is now functionally isolated: the WHO says its 12 hospitals have fuel for four days, no surgical supplies and a cholera outbreak, and the IOM counts about 121,000 people displaced in Taiz governorate.
Ansar Allah’s Taiz governor called on fighters on the other side to come home under a general amnesty. Near Bab al-Mandab, Saudi-aligned forces trying to push toward the Kahbub mountains are being slowed by minefields. Ansar Allah released footage of Rujum drone strikes on Saudi-aligned formations and vehicles on several fronts, and the Saudi-aligned authorities in Marib say eight ballistic missiles hit Marib city. Saree counted 110 Saudi airstrikes and missiles in 24 hours across ten governorates, and tribal mobilisation rallies were held in Saada, Sanaa and Hajjah.
Keeping Things Strait With the IRGC
The IRGC Navy says a third tanker hit a naval mine and caught fire in its engine room in the southern Strait of Hormuz on Sunday night after switching off its navigation systems and trying to leave by what the IRGC called an “unauthorized southern route,” and warned that ships that go dark “will be dealt with severely and decisively.”
Earlier Sunday, UKMTO reported a tug struck by two projectiles northeast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, with one minor casualty. Around 21:30 GMT, Iran launched missiles from Chabahar and Konarak on the Gulf of Oman, where two large explosions were heard.
Iranian Deputy Speaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei said Iran will keep the strait closed “to cut the energy and commodity lifeline of the United States, the Israeli regime and their regional allies.” I
In Baghdad, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington has “shared comments” on Iran’s proposal, which Tehran is reviewing; if the US meets Iran’s conditions, “the Strait of Hormuz will reopen on the sixth day, and negotiations will resume on the seventh day.” Brent opened Sunday night down about $1 at $108.80.
Going Down the Tubes
Dr Marandi joined Glen Diesen
Col. MacGregor Joins Lt. Col. Davis
Stay safe, y’all.