Middle East Conflict Escalates: Nine Dead in Israeli Strikes on Lebanon and Houthi Attacks Hit Yemen

Flames and smoke rise from the port of Mocha during a strike in Yemen, on Friday. Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP

US President Donald Trump stated yesterday that he would "never apologize" for taking military action against Iran, defending higher gas prices as a necessary cost in his effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced earlier today that Tehran has not yet decided whether to resume negotiations with the US.

In the latest developments across the Middle East conflict:

Israel launched a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon today, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people, according to Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency (NNA). This marks the deadliest day since the June ceasefire.

In a separate incident, one person was killed and eight others were injured after the Iran-backed Houthi militia group launched six ballistic missiles at Yemen’s port of Mocha on the Red Sea last night, as reported by Yemen’s Armed Forces.

Additionally, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported that an "unknown projectile" struck the hull of a bulk carrier in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, though the crew was confirmed safe. The UKMTO also noted that shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz over the past seven days has dropped to just 17 percent of the pre-conflict average.

Reporting was contributed by CNN journalists Kit Maher, Aida Karimi, Mitchell McCluskey, Sophie Tanno, Eyad Kourdi, Laura Sharman, and Charbel Mallo.