Diplomats attacked in the occupied West Bank, and other Middle East developments

Israeli police say they are investigating an attack on diplomats in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile, an airstrike in Yemen killed three children and wounded others. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Read our full coverage here. Israeli police probe attack on diplomats in West Bank Israeli police say they have opened an investigation into an alleged assault on diplomats in the occupied West Bank.

Their statement cites footage circulating online that appears to show several diplomats being attacked in the village of Taybeh. Public broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland. In a separate statement, Israel’s military said the visit had not been coordinated with it and no soldiers were at the scene. Violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians has surged during the annual olive harvest.

Activists say authorities do little to stop it. An attack on Friday seriously injured several people, including a Washington Post photographer. “The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will work to complete these investigations until everyone who took part in these cases is brought to justice,” the police statement said. Police said they had contacted Israel’s Foreign Ministry to help locate those who were attacked. Airstrike kills 3 children in Yemen Iranian-backed Houthi rebels say airstrikes from Saudi Arabia killed three children in Yemen's southwestern province of Dhamar.

The Houthi-run health ministry said the strikes the day before hit houses in al-Ar village in Dawran Aness district, also wounding more than a dozen people. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the strike, which comes amid heightened fighting between the group and the kingdom and its Yemeni allies. Saudi Arabia didn’t immediately comment. The children are among 124 people the Houthis say have been killed in their territories since fighting resumed in September, according to the ministry.

Journalist beaten by West Bank settlers undergoes surgery Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was undergoing surgery on her finger, which was nearly detached from her hand after she was beaten by settlers in the West Bank, her daughter said. Ashley Milner told The Associated Press that Levine also has a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae as well as lacerations. Levine said the perpetrators — armed with bottles and slingshots — “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag.”

She said her helmet and protective vest, marked “PRESS,” likely saved her from more serious injuries. 2 ships attacked in the Persian Gulf The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said two vessels transiting through the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia were struck Friday. One tanker was fired upon from a small boat with an RPG that damaged part of its rear, and the other was struck by an unknown projectile, it said. The UKMTO monitor did not identify the vessels but said the crews were safe.

No one claimed the strikes. There has been an uptick in attacks since U.S. President Donald Trump late last month rejected a Tehran proposal to end the war and open the strait, though indirect negotiations have continued. On Saturday, Iran’s state broadcaster cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying a supertanker carrying crude oil struck a naval mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. It was unclear when the incident occurred.

Separately, a skiff carrying armed men opened fire on a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas in the Arabian Sea off Yemen, UKMTO reported. There were no reports of casualties. No group claimed responsibility. Egypt pledges to defend Saudi Arabia Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said his government will implement “any measure” to defend its ally Saudi Arabia amid increasing attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. Addressing King Salman and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, el-Sissi said his country would do what it takes to defend them.

He said that if needed, he would convene parliament for an emergency session to authorize such measures. Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 4 people Israeli strikes killed four people across Gaza, according to hospital officials. One strike killed two people and wounded several others east of Gaza City, according to Shifa hospital. Another killed a 14-year-old boy in the central city of Deir al-Balah, according to al-Aqsa hospital, and the third killed one person in the southern city of Rafah, according to the Red Cross field hospital.

Israel's army said it struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad military operatives in those areas but did not immediately respond to the strike in Rafah. The attacks came more than a year after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hamas, during which Israel continued to launch deadly strikes on the enclave. Houthis release more than 150 prisoners in Yemen The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they released 159 war prisoners who were detained in the latest round of fighting.

The prisoner release was coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Abdul-Qader el-Murtaza, a Houthi official in charge of prisoner exchange talks, told a news conference that the prisoners surrendered to the rebels on the country’s west coast. The Houthis overran the Red Sea coast last month, in a major setback to Yemen's internationally recognized government and its backer Saudi Arabia. ___ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.