Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

At least 58 individuals have been killed in assaults carried out by the Houthis against Yemen's Saudi-backed forces, according to an AFP military source on Thursday. The Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes on Saudi military bases in Marib and Hadramout, retaliating to Saudi Arabia's significant military buildup in Yemen.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Saudi Arabia on Friday to engage in discussions with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif. They will deliberate on the US-Israeli war on Iran and its implications for the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted that the United States has been pursuing an unsuccessful strategy and implored the US to acknowledge the facts and honor its commitments. He also criticized Washington's shifting decisions regarding a ceasefire with Tehran, labeling it as "theater diplomacy."

The US President, Donald Trump, stated on Thursday that he believes the conflict with Iran will conclude soon. He also affirmed that the US possesses an "unlimited supply" of weapons, countering reports of dwindling ammunition stocks once again.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are slated to sign a joint defense pact in Jeddah on Friday, according to AFP sources close to Saudi authorities. The regional powers are striving to fortify their security alliances in the wake of the US war on Iran.

Tragedy struck the Jaramana neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, as at least two individuals lost their lives and 14 others sustained injuries in a bombing attributed to an explosive device planted in a minibus.