Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in towns across the occupied West Bank during the olive harvest Friday, setting fire to cars and trees. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the palace compound used by the country’s internationally recognized government, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen others. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here. Israeli settlers target Palestinians across the West Bank Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in multiple villages across the occupied West Bank on Friday, setting trees and cars on fire, according to local officials and emergency responders. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that six people were injured in two attacks in the town of Abu Falah outside Ramallah. A 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were taken to a hospital after being beaten by settlers, the Red Crescent said. Israel has imposed new rules on the olive harvest this year, prohibiting Palestinians from working in the region known officially as Area C, which is under Israeli control and encompasses most of the territory’s agricultural land. At least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 others injured since the harvest season began earlier this month, according to Palestinian officials. They say thousands of trees have been damaged, costing farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Israel’s police and army didn’t immediately respond to questions about the attacks. Reported shipping attacks jump in Strait of Hormuz A British monitor says that October is already the busiest month for reported attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since March, during the opening months of the Iran war. That news came even as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, said that it was “struggling to accurately report” the true number of attacks since most ships now refuse to report them. Still, UKMTO says 10 attacks were reported in the strait in the week ending Friday. One ship sank. Since early July, most attacks have occurred off Oman, where the U.S. military has been guiding vessels at risk of Iranian attack. There has been an uptick in attacks since U.S. President Donald Trump late last month rejected a Tehran proposal to end the war and open the strait, though indirect negotiations have continued. Attacks on Yemen government palace compound kill 5 Attacks on the palace compound of Yemen’s internationally recognized government killed at least five people and wounded more than a dozen others, government officials said. In a Facebook post late Thursday, Health Minister Qasem Buhaibeh said that security guards and other employees at Maashiq palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden were among the casualties. Aden has been the seat of Yemen’s government since 2015. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted a military operations headquarters associated with Saudi forces that are backing the government. Houthi missiles struck near Saudi-backed coalition’s headquarters Two of the missiles launched by the Houthis on Thursday struck near the headquarters of the Saudi-backed coalition forces in Aden, causing damage, a Yemeni government official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, said Friday that the missiles landed near the compound used by the coalition in Buraiqah, a neighborhood west of the palace. No senior officials were there at the time of the attack, he said. Yemen’s security service detains a reporter, among others The Yemeni government’s security department in Aden on Friday confirmed the arrest of reporter Murad Mohammed Saeed, among other people. The department’s statement didn’t say how many people had been detained or the charges against them. Saeed has worked for several newspapers and news websites, including Aden Al-Ghad newspaper, according to his Facebook page. There were several posts on his account, including footage of strikes in Aden. The security department linked the arrests to previous warnings against circulating footage that could reveal sensitive details or affect security operations. ___ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge. The Associated Press
