Tehran crowds mark U.S. Embassy anniversary as Houthis claim Saudi strikes

Iranian officials pointed to a U.S. election result on Wednesday to argue that American voters had rejected the ongoing war with Iran. The shift in power in Washington followed Tuesday's vote, where Democrats gained control of Congress. Many voters cited frustration with rising fuel prices and the conflict in the Middle East as key reasons for their choices.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, posted on X that Americans said no to war. He endorsed that message and warned that if the U.S. government ignored the vote, it would learn that Iran's no comes with a nightmare. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader, took a different view. He dismissed the idea that the United States would change its approach to the Islamic Republic.

Thousands of people marched through Tehran on Wednesday for a government-organized demonstration. The event commemorated the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy. Pro-government demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags. They chanted slogans calling for the death of America and Israel.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He described the impact as causing major damages to the facility. The rebels also claimed they fired a drone at a radar installation and a ballistic missile at a command center in Jazan province.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims. The Saudi information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saudi civil defense issued an alert in Riyadh overnight. It also issued warnings of potential danger in the regions of Jazan and Najran early Wednesday. The Houthis have targeted oil, logistics, and airport facilities in Saudi Arabia in an effort to counter what they describe as a blockade on Yemen.

Houthi health authorities reported at least seven people died in an airstrike in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz. The strike hit a house in the district of Maqbanah. Two children were among the dead. Six other children were wounded. Houthi media aired footage of the heavily damaged concrete building, showing large sections of the roof and walls collapsing. The Houthi-run health ministry blamed Saudi Arabia for the strike.

This incident was the latest deadly strike since Yemen's civil war resumed more than three months ago. The conflict pits the Iranian-backed Houthis against Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognized government. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said a strike on a motorcycle in the village of Qabrikha killed one person and wounded another.

The Israeli military stated it struck two suspects who were observing soldiers. The attack was the first of its kind in nearly a month. Drone strikes have been rare since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late June ended the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned that Lebanon faces a security vacuum when the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL ends on December 31. Lebanese officials fear the gap between Israeli forces and the Lebanese army will be dangerous. Lacroix questioned who would monitor the U.N.-drawn Blue Line separating the two countries without a third-party presence.

The U.S. pushed the U.N. Security Council to end the mission after nearly five decades. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed options in June to maintain monitoring. Lacroix said unarmed U.N. military observers would still be authorized to operate in southern Lebanon. A Security Council resolution adopted in 2000 remains in effect and is scheduled for discussion on November 19.