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I'm Sophia Yan, and this is Iran the latest. It's Monday, the 19th of October, 2026, the eighth month of war between the US and Iran. On today's episode, Houthi militants have attacked a military camp of government forces in southern Yemen, killing at least 20 soldiers. This is one of the deadliest attacks to date. Also today, Iran names a new defense minister, believed to be instrumental in the country's missile program. First, the latest on the Iran war. Today, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels struck a military camp for government forces in southern Yemen on Monday.
Uh at least 20 soldiers have been killed. Rebels fired ballistic missiles on the Al-Alam military camp in the southern part of Yemen. These details are coming from two Yemeni military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, as they're not authorized to speak to reporters. This is one of the deadliest attacks in the recent surge of fighting uh as tensions have escalated in the wider US-Iran war. This comes on top of what Houthis say uh came from the Saudis, that there were 110 air strikes and missile attacks since yesterday. On the other side, the Yemeni government says it has recaptured Houthi-controlled areas in Taiz governorate. One civilian
was reported killed and five wounded by Houthi shelling. Uh the Yemeni side has also condemned the destruction of a highway that links Taiz city to Aden, and this is where the government operations remain in Aden. Houthi forces have been attempting to circle the city of Taiz. This is the last major urban stronghold held by the Yemeni government, and if seized, it could make it that much harder for government forces to keep the Houthis away from attacking this crucial Mandab Strait. Uh it would also isolate the port city of Aden, and again, this is where the government operations are currently.
Now, to clarify, these details about fighting in Yemen is coming both from both sides, from the Houthi side and also from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government side. There is no way for the Telegraph to independently verify these details. I'm joined today by Con Coughlin, The Telegraph's executive defense and foreign affairs editor. Good to see you, Con. Obviously, with the broader Iran war, we've seen a lot of escalated fighting around Yemen and Saudi Arabia with the Houthi militants really increasing their attacks against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces who have also put up quite a fight. What do you make of this expanding front line in the war? Could it have any material impact on the broader US-Iran
negotiations and the stalemate that's in place? Well, that's a very good question and in my opinion, that's what's behind what is now going on in Yemen. And I don't think you could really realistically talk about the Houthis without talking about Iran. Um and I know there's a big debate about whether the Houthis are Iranian proxies like say Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Um but they certainly have a very strong alliance with Iran. And a lot of these rockets that are now being fired at Saudi Arabia, such as at the international airport, etc., Aramco, these are Iranian-made missiles.
Um and the Houthis have been given a lot of military support and technical support by the Iranians. And I see what is going on in Yemen at the moment, this latest upsurge in fighting, as part of an Iranian attempt A to detract attention away from its own difficulties in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and B, if the Houthis succeed in causing severe disruption to merchant shipping in the Red Sea, then that is going to put more pressure on the West and in particular the Trump administration to do a deal with Tehran to end the conflict. So, there's a lot going on around what is a local civil war in Yemen.
There's some discussion now within the Egyptian Parliament discussing whether to approve a request from the Egyptian president to offer military support to his ally Saudi Arabia over this fighting that's happening against the Houthis. What's the pro here for the Egyptians and could this impact the success the Saudis might have in their support for the Yemeni government forces? Well, first of all, this is not the first time the Saudis have asked for Egyptian support. When the Saudis first became involved in fighting on behalf of the democratically elected Houthi government coming on a decade ago, the first thing they did was
ask Egypt to support and President Al-Sisi said firmly rejected that. But a decade later, we have a situation where it is in Egypt's national interest to keep the Suez Canal operational. And if the Houthis succeed in their attempts to close or to seize control of the Bab-el-Mandeb, to severely disrupt merchant shipping in the Red Sea, then that impacts the Suez Canal. That directly impacts the Egyptian government and all the money it makes from operating the Suez Canal. So, this time around, the Egyptians have a vested interest in getting involved in this. But as I said in the past, they've been reluctant to do so and the big question is whether this latest upsurge in violence will change Al-Sisi's mind.
The entire network that Iran backs in the Middle East can't fall until Iran itself falters, that the regime falters significantly or perhaps ends. But that seems further and further away in some respects. What do you make of this, Khan, in terms of what Iran looks like now from the inside? Well, I think the really remarkable thing about Iran, and certainly surprised me and I've been following Iran for 40 years now, is the resilience the regime has shown despite you know, the very significant damage it has suffered at the hands of the Americans and the Israelis. I mean, the military assessments are that, you know, around 80% of its military capabilities have been destroyed. Its nuclear program
lies in rubble. I know we've got this issue with the enriched uranium, but overall, the Iranian regime has suffered some pretty devastating losses. Plus, add to that the decapitation strategy to get your senior commanders that has taken place. And yet, here we are um it you several months after the start of hostilities, and the Iranians are still able to cause disruption in the Gulf. Um they are still trying to breathe new life into their various proxies around the region, like Hezbollah, which is still a force. It's not the force it was, but it's still causing trouble. And they've managed to open yet another front uh with the Houthis. As I said, you know, I think what the Houthis are doing is inextricably linked
to Iranian policy. So, and of course, um I'm not missed all this. We have an American president whose focus is firmly on the midterms next month. Doesn't want to do anything that's going to anyway worsen his domestic political situation, and that includes reopening hostilities in Iran. And the Iranians are showing that despite these setbacks, despite the tanking economy, despite the great unrest within the country, it is still capable of clinging to power and causing mischief. So, which is quite remarkable in the circumstances. Some experts think that the Iranian regime has to fall before lasting changes can come across the Middle East. But Khan, is this a pipe dream? The Islamic Republic still in power at this
moment even after losing so many of its officials. Well, it's hard to imagine Iran becoming any more hostile than it's been since the '79 revolution. I mean, there's been this continuum of anti-Western aggression since the overthrow of the Shah. Um and you're right. I mean, they have suffered a lot of significant losses. Um and you know, but they've very easily been replaced by a new cadre of um from the Revolutionary Guard and the other institutions set up to safeguard the Islamic Republic. And what you're seeing is that the I mean, what we've had in Iran for many years is this sort of struggle between the so-called moderates who identify primarily as the people in the Foreign Ministry, you know, the smooth-talking diplomats
that visit Western capitals and tell us that if only we ease a few sanctions here and there, you know, we can all have a reasonably comfortable life and less tension. Um and the hardliners and every time these smooth-talking diplomats go back to Iran with the makings of a deal, the hardliners just reject it outright and start you know, lobbing bombs around. So, and I think what we see at the moment is that the moderates have been being completely sidelined and the hardliners are completely in control. But as you intimate just how sustainable is this particularly with the state of the Iranian economy? I mean the Iranian economy is tanking. If the sanctions imposed by the US
and others really are enforced properly you know, it's a matter of months before the Iranian economy collapses. So and in that circumstance you feel that regime change really would be feasible. Um but anyway, it at the moment we have a regime that's fighting for its life and the more it fights, the more desperate it becomes. Yeah, and the escalation with the Houthis is very significant. Just overnight several US embassies in the Middle East issued identical security alerts for American citizens, American interests, citing that threat from Iran and from the Iran-backed Houthis.
Over the weekend Iran's IRGC said that an oil tanker caught fire and exploded after hitting a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz in the southern part of Hormuz. This is a detail that was carried in Iranian media. The vessel violated Iran-imposed quote regulations by switching off its navigation system while transiting the waterway. Again, what the IRGC had to say. And this comes on top of four attacks that the UK Maritime Trade Operations has noted since Friday. Two on Friday off the coast of Saudi Arabia, a third on Saturday off of Yemen's southwest coast, and then a fourth attack near the UAE where a tug was struck by two unknown projectiles but is continuing its route. So as you say, these are just
more examples of the kind of pain that Iran can continue to inflict even as it has been hit so much in this ongoing war. I just want to move over to what we're seeing with Israel. We're just a couple of days out now, roughly a week out now from national elections in Israel, largely seen as a referendum on the confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was already scandal-ridden before the October 7 attacks in 2023, and since has managed to stay in power. Over the weekend, Donald Trump did say that he endorsed Netanyahu.
What do you make of this support? Can this help Bibi in this moment? The problem is Israel is a very divided country. Um and the other thing, and I've covered many Israeli elections over the years, is you have this proportional representation system in Israel, which makes it very difficult for any of the main parties um to form a government. They rely very, very much on co- forming a coalition. And a coalition of many parts, not just two parties coming together. And we saw this with the current government. Um so I think [clears throat] it's very difficult to write off Netanyahu. I know that he's deeply unpopular. And I think there's a large constituency in Israel that blame him for October 7 in the first place, that think that the subsequent reaction,
particularly in Gaza, has been over the top, disproportionate, um and completely destroyed Israel's international reputation. So, these are important sentiments. But against that is that the Israelis always put their own security first. Um and they look around the region, they see a Syria with an Islamist government rebuilding its military. Hezbollah is still functioning in Lebanon. Iran hasn't gone away. Um and a lot of Israelis, particularly, you know, 3 years on from October 7th, security will be uppermost in their minds. And so the decision will rest to a large extent, in my view, on whether the Israelis still believe that Netanyahu is the best person
to secure the nation's the nation against, yeah, the its many foes in the region, or they need a change of tack. Just to note that Trump used these words to describe Netanyahu, quote, "great warrior prime minister" and called him a partner in peace. Credited him for joining the US and launching strikes against Iran back in February. Is Bibi able to do the same power because he has this kind of support from Trump? I think there are some people who argue that the last thing Bibi needs is to have Trump to be giving him an endorsement. But, you know, the language used by Trump is exactly the kind of image that Netanyahu is trying to portray that, you know, he
he's a former soldier. Um he is a warrior. He likes to put, you know, see himself as an Israeli Churchill. Yeah, fighting against overwhelming odds. Um and so this kind of endorsement from Trump reinforces that image. Against that, it's said a lot of Israelis will think, well, you know, Trump has not been very helpful um in terms of trying to I mean, look at the Gaza situation. Trump went in there saying he's going to rebuild it, establish a border peace, and disarm Hamas. Nothing's happened. So, Trump's own credibility in Israel is pretty low at the moment. So, as I said, it we just have to wait and see whether this has
any significant bearing on the outcome of the election. With these elections around the corner, Netanyahu's been obviously talking big against Iran, other perceived enemies of Israel, and it's invited the Iranian foreign minister to respond. He's accused Netanyahu of driving America into another war to stay out of jail. Uh Abbas Aragchi wrote this online. He said, "Last time you wanted to finish the job, but Iran emerged even stronger. Want to try your luck again? Be our guest. But be careful. We have unfinished jobs, too." How do you read these kinds of threats from Iran? I mean, they obviously come well, daily almost. The new defense minister also issuing similar threats
against the US, for instance, making clear that the US should not even think about trying to launch another attack. But given everything we've talked about where the regime might be, somehow their ability to stay afloat, I mean, how serious are these threats that they're making? The Iranians are desperate to sort of persuade their own people that they're they're they still have skin in the game. And so, making all these statements about, you know, there's unfinished business, we're as strong as ever, etc. Um yes, they are they have to do that in a sense to justify their existence. Um and while, as I said before, the Iranians have shown an ability to continue causing um disruption in the region, they're not the threat they were before
this war started. Uh Netanyahu will be aware of that, but um I don't think the Iranians are in any serious position to threaten Israel in the way they were at the start of the year. Um and I think Netanyahu would relish the opportunity, frankly, to get back into action against Iran. And you know, it's the Americans have been holding Israelis back in terms of carrying on strikes against Iran. And so, if the Iranians are silly enough to launch another direct attack against Israel, um Netanyahu would be more than willing to respond very forcefully. There have been disturbing accounts uh from attacks over the weekend by Israeli settlers uh attacking an American journalist, European diplomats, Palestinians. One of
them was a photojournalist, Heidi Levine, for the Washington Post. Uh she required surgery after these attacks. Uh here's Heidi describing what happened to her last Friday. Um I was brutally attacked by I mean, we saw on the in the distance on the hilltop. I would say at least 50 masked men. I was I had a 100 to uh 500 mm lens that you could see the mask with um uh slingshots. Um and when they came running down, uh I would I was attacked, pushed to the ground. I had Luckily, I had my flat jacket and my helmet. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be here because they just kept kicking me uh and kicking me like probably 50 times.
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has denounced the attack. He described it as, quote, "a despicable act of terror." And has called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Uh Israel has said that 10 suspects have been arrested in what's a developing situation. Then the following day on Saturday, a convoy of European diplomats were attacked by Israeli settlers. The group hailed from Belgium, France, Poland, and the Catholic Church. They had come to visit a largely Christian village near Ramallah. They're to assess the situation on the ground after what's been near daily attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians trying to bring in their olive harvest. A con We're both
journalists, you know, there's an old saying, "Don't shoot the messenger." What do you make of all the hostilities in the Middle East and what that means for press freedom? Well, it makes life incredibly difficult to cover these stories. I mean, I remember I covered the first Intifada in Gaza in 1987 and on the first day got a load of stones and rocks through the windscreen of my car. So, attacks on journalists in these very tense situations nothing new. Um I mean, I think what is the really big new thing is just how empowered the Israeli settlers feel.
Um and the Israeli authorities just don't seem to be making any significant attempt to stop these attacks, which are taking place on a regular basis against Palestinian civilian communities. And say something very prosaic like getting the olive harvest in suddenly becomes a big political issue. So, and of course, yeah, there's an election in Israel. Um the settlers have quite a strong constituency within Israeli politics and they're they're trying to sort of just nudge that dial um to say, you know, whatever happens with this election, you know, let us not forget that, you know, we need to have a strong Israel that is not going to pursue a two-state solution or anything like that and that continues to expand its presence
throughout the occupied West Bank Uh and all the Palestinian territories. Do you think sanctions targeting settlements have an impact on trying to rein in this kind of violence? I don't have to wait and see whether they can be effective. I mean, when Ed Miliband imposed these measures a few a couple of weeks ago, um a lot of people said, "Well, you know, this is all well and good, but in practical terms, can you enforce it? Can you distinguish between Israeli goods that originate from settlements in the West Bank uh or goods from Israel proper?" So, and I don't know the answer to that.
People say you can, and others say it's very difficult, particularly if the Israeli government makes no effort to distinguish between the two. So, um I think in terms of the individuals, um the sanctions against the individuals involved, that they might have a bearing, but then I imagine very few of them were looking to take their holidays in the UK anytime soon. There's a push across the region to disarm non-state actors like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Iran-backed militias in Iraq. I've been wondering about this a lot, about whether or not this push could be successful. Right now, there's certainly a lot of momentum for that to happen. What are your thoughts, Khan, on whether this could work?
Well, I do think that the Iranian regime has overstretched itself in terms of its support for various proxies around the Middle East. And it's also suffered some significant uh setbacks, not least in Syria, because Syria was the was sort of linchpin of all its operations under the Assad regime, and that is gone now. So, they are scrambling around trying to sort of rebuild. And I think it's quite interesting that the Iraqis in particular seem to have had enough of the Iranian mili- the pro-Iranian militias operating on their territory. The Lebanese government has made it clear they want to sort of curb the freedoms that Hezbollah has enjoyed for the last 40 years. And so there's clearly a desire in the Arab world to limit the ability
of Tehran to continue causing um political instability and all the rest of it. Um I suppose [clears throat] the big question is A, do they have the resources to successfully dis- dismantle uh Iran's proxy network in the Middle East? And do they have the political resolve to see the job through? Which in the past, you know, the moment the militias or terror groups, whatever you want to call them, start blowing things up, then politicians tend to sort of ease up on the pressure. So but it's certainly an interesting development to watch at the moment. Thanks so much for joining us today, Con. Pleasure.
One last bit of news. A flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna landed in an emergency diversion in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. This Austrian Airlines flight had the emergency diversion after receiving a bomb threat. After the plane landed and was evacuated and searched, no threat was found. The flight continued on to its original destination of Vienna and with all passengers on board. A broader investigation is ongoing. [snorts] That does it for today on Iran the latest. I'm Sophia Yan. We'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye. For more authoritative global journalism, join us today as a Telegraph subscriber. Explore the full range of our award-winning reporting from the
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