Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Riyadh reports 11 civilians injured after ‘indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects’
- Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are due to sign a joint defense pact, sources say
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about the Middle East on Friday, August 7:
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Skip next section Houthi militia attack wounds 11 in Saudi Arabia08/07/2026August 7, 2026
Houthi militia attack wounds 11 in Saudi Arabia
An attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis late on Thursday wounded 11 civilians in southern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, a military official said.
The attack injured seven Saudis, two Egyptians, a Yemeni and a Pakistani, according to General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen‘s government against the Shiite Houthi rebels.
He accused the rebels of “using indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects.”
Neither the militia or Iran immediately responded to the coalition’s statement.
Tehran has targeted Saudi Arabia since the US-Iran war started this February, as its regional archrival hosts US military facilities. Less then three weeks ago, the Houthi militants in Yemen declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, signaling that Riyadh’s long-running conflict with the Houthis in Yemen is becoming increasingly intertwined with the wider Middle East war.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IQM7Skip next section Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to sign defense deal, sources say08/07/2026August 7, 2026
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to sign defense deal, sources say
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan were expected to sign a defense agreement in Jeddah on Friday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Reuters and AFP reported, citing unnamed sources.
The pact was “under discussion for a long time,” but recent developments in the region accelerated efforts to finalize it, a source close to the Saudi military told AFP.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Saudi Arabian city.
Erdogan was set to arrive on Friday, while Sharif and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir had already arrived in the kingdom on Thursday.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — the only Muslim-majority country armed with nuclear weapons — announced a joint defense deal.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IQRuSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/07/2026August 7, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Emmy Sasipornkarn | Darko Janjevic Editor
An attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthimilitants wounded 11 people in southern Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were expected to sign a defense agreement in Jeddah according to sources cited by Reuters and AFP news agencies.
Stay tuned as we bring you more on these stories and other major developments from the Middle East.
For our coverage of the conflict on August 6, 2026, you can catch our blog here.
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