Moscow enters the settlement line between Washington and Tehran

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin conveyed to Trump, during a phone call and in coordination with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Tehran's views on a possible settlement of the conflict, without disclosing the details of the Iranian position or the US president's response to it.

Putin had met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a regional summit in Turkmenistan last week, and expressed Moscow's readiness to mediate to reach a settlement ending the war that broke out last February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Washington and Tehran had reached a memorandum of understanding in June to end the conflict, before it collapsed in July with the renewal of Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US response with military strikes. Indirect talks between the two sides, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, also failed to achieve a breakthrough leading to the resumption of the negotiation track.

In Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government announced on Saturday the implementation of a wide-scale operation targeting the Iran-backed Houthis, confirming the destruction of 136 military targets in areas controlled by the group.

Coalition forces spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the operation targets Houthi elements and their military capabilities, pointing out the continued provision of round-the-clock air support to Yemeni government forces.

In contrast, the Houthi-affiliated "Al-Masirah" channel reported that Saada Governorate in northwestern Yemen was subjected to raids, and also reported strikes targeting Sanaa airport and areas near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The escalation comes as Yemeni government forces, backed by the coalition, continue a wide-scale offensive to recapture areas seized by the Houthis over the past weeks, amid fierce battles on several fronts, particularly in the country's western coast and the vicinity of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Government military sources said their forces made progress in the vicinity of the strait, but have not yet managed to control it, pointing out that Perim Island, located in the heart of the strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, remains under Houthi control.

In contrast, the Houthis denied that their forces retreated, and Houthi political bureau member Hizam al-Asad stressed that their forces still control Bab el-Mandeb, Perim Island, and the western coast areas, adding that government forces tried to advance from Lahij Governorate towards the strait, but faced resistance and suffered losses in personnel and equipment.

The government-loyal Giants Brigades announced repelling a Houthi attack on their positions north of Dhubab airport, coinciding with airstrikes targeting the group's military reinforcements.

Military sources from both sides also reported that at least 63 fighters were killed over the past few hours in the battles witnessed in western Yemen and the vicinity of Bab el-Mandeb, including 35 from government forces and 28 Houthis.

Control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is gaining increasing strategic importance for Saudi Arabia, in light of the disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war with Iran last February, and the resulting pressures on oil export routes and regional trade movement.

The Houthis expanded their areas of control during last September to include large parts of the western coast overlooking the Red Sea, before announcing the resumption of targeting Saudi territory and oil facilities, and imposing maritime measures against the Kingdom.

Saudi authorities announced last week the death of six people in Houthi-claimed attacks targeting airports in the Kingdom, including victims who fell in attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha Airport.

These developments come amid the collapse of the 2022 truce between the Houthis and the coalition-backed Yemeni government, and the renewal of military confrontations between the two sides, amid international warnings of the expansion of the escalation and its repercussions on regional security and vital maritime corridors.