Iran Update, October 18, 2026

Data Cutoff: 2:00 PM ET

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute are publishing updates Monday through Friday to provide analysis on the war with Iran and the broader Middle East. Weekday updates cover events from the past 24-hour period, whereas weekend updates are abbreviated and cover the Houthi-Saudi conflict and major breaking developments related to the war with Iran. 

Key Takeaways:

• The Houthis downed a Saudi light attack helicopter over Saudi Arabian airspace that was likely providing close air support (CAS) or conducting reconnaissance in nearby al Jawf Governorate, Yemen, amid ongoing fighting between Yemeni government-aligned forces and Houthi forces there.
• Houthi forces continued to try to make advances on the western and southern outskirts of Taiz City on October 17 and 18.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to resume salary payments for unspecified Yemeni government-aligned forces fighting the Houthis, according to Yemeni sources cited by UK media on October 17. The reported Saudi-UAE deal likely involves the UAE funding and Saudi Arabia providing air support to the Southern Giants Brigades, which is a Yemeni government-aligned military faction that the UAE helped establish in 2016 and is one of the main Yemeni government-aligned forces that are fighting in the current conflict against the Houthis.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi announced on October 18 that Egypt will provide defensive military aid to Saudi Arabia if Saudi Arabia requests sup

Toplines

The Houthis downed a Saudi light attack helicopter over Saudi Arabian airspace that was likely providing close air support (CAS) or conducting reconnaissance in nearby al Jawf Governorate, Yemen, amid ongoing fighting between Yemeni government-aligned forces and Houthi forces there.[i] The Houthis published footage on October 18 of a Houthi surface-to-air missile (SAM) downing a Saudi AH-6I light attack helicopter over Najran Province, Saudi Arabia, which lies north of al Jawf Governorate in Yemen, on October 17.[ii] The Saudi Joint Forces Command (JFC) confirmed on October 18 that the AH-6I crashed over Najran Province, killing both pilots, but said that a technical malfunction caused the crash.[iii] An open-source intelligence (OSINT) weapons analyst assessed on October 18 that Houthi forces may have downed the Saudi AH-6I with a Saqr-1 358 SAM missile.[iv] The Saqr-1 358 is an Iranian-derived Houthi-produced loitering SAM munition with a range of 150 kilometers.[v] The Houthis likely downed the Saudi AH-6I before or after it provided CAS or reconnaissance support to Yemeni government-aligned forces fighting Houthi forces in nearby al Jawf Governorate.[vi] Houthi SAM fire previously downed a Saudi F-15 over Marib Governorate, Yemen, on September 15, and struck a Saudi-operated Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet over Saada Governorate, Yemen, on October 14.[vii] The Houthis separately claimed that they downed a Saudi-operated Turkish-produced drone over al Hajjah Governorate on October 17.[viii]

Houthi forces continued to try to make advances on the western and southern outskirts of Taiz City on October 17 and 18. Yemeni government-aligned forces, likely with Saudi air support, conducted airstrikes on Houthi positions in the “Old Airport” neighborhood on the western outskirts of Taiz City on October 17, according to Yemeni government media and geolocated footage.[ix] A Yemeni journalist and Saudi media sources reported heavy fighting between Houthi and Yemeni government-aligned forces in the “Old Airport” neighborhood on October 18, which indicates that the neighborhood remains heavily contested.[x] Houthi forces have sought to seize high ground west of Taiz City since encircling the city on October 12.[xi] Yemeni government forces also continued to repel Houthi attempts to advance south of Taiz City, according to Yemeni government sources. Several pro-Yemeni government sources reported that government-aligned forces advanced into villages near Jabal Dhahih, south of Taiz City, on October 18, amid Houthi attempts to advance in the area.[xii] Several Yemeni sources separately reported that Yemeni government-aligned forces launched a counterattack, advancing into two villages and capturing a Houthi T-55 main battle tank southeast of Taiz City on October 18.[xiii]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to resume salary payments for unspecified Yemeni government-aligned forces fighting the Houthis, according to Yemeni sources cited by UK media on October 17.[xiv] The Yemeni sources stated that Saudi Arabia will provide air support to these forces in exchange for the UAE’s resumption of salary payments.[xv] The report of increased Saudi-UAE cooperation in Yemen preceded reports that Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed and other Emirati leaders in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, on October 18.[xvi] The reported Saudi-UAE deal likely involves the UAE funding and Saudi Arabia providing air support to the Southern Giants Brigades, which is a Yemeni government-aligned military faction that the UAE helped establish in 2016 and is one of the main Yemeni government-aligned forces that are fighting in the current conflict against the Houthis.[xvii]

The reported Saudi-UAE agreement is notable given the historic rivalry between UAE- and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen. The UAE supported the Southern Giants Brigades and other UAE-backed Yemeni forces that sought southern and eastern Yemen’s secession from the rest of the country and fought Saudi-backed forces on multiple occasions prior to the current conflict.[xviii] The UAE suspended salary payments to the Southern Giants Brigades following the January 2026 Saudi-backed counteroffensive that reversed UAE-backed forces’ territorial gains in southern and eastern Yemen.[xix]

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi announced on October 18 that Egypt will provide defensive military aid to Saudi Arabia if Saudi Arabia requests support.[xx] Egyptian state-owned media reported on October 18 that Egypt's Parliament will likely approve the aid package, which includes sending Egyptian forces to Saudi Arabia, on October 20.[xxi] Egypt's pledge to provide military aid to Saudi Arabia follows similar commitments from Saudi partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and Pakistan, to provide military support to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in recent weeks.[xxii] Egypt previously provided air and naval support to the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in 2015.[xxiii]

US and Partner Military Operations

Nothing significant to report.

Iranian Strike Campaign

• Assessed Iranian War Aims:
  • Secure international recognition of Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz
  • Degrade the US ability and willingness to continue the war
  • Restore deterrence vis-à -vis the United States and its regional partners
  • Divide the United States and Israel from the Arab states

Iran likely attacked a tugboat transiting the Strait of Hormuz near Khor Fakkan, the UAE, on October 18. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on October 18 that two unknown projectiles struck a tugboat traveling southbound in the Strait of Hormuz northeast of Khor Fakkan, the UAE.[xxiv] The attack damaged the tugboat and injured one individual, but the vessel continued its route, according to UKMTO.[xxv] Smaller vessels, like tugboats, can facilitate ship-to-ship transfers by aligning and positioning larger vessels before and during ship-to-ship transfers, but it is unknown whether this specific tugboat was engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer when Iranian forces likely attacked it.[xxvi] This attack comes after Supreme National Security Council Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei claimed on October 11 that Iranian forces attack, on average, five small vessels conducting ship-to-ship transfers with larger vessels each day.[xxvii] Gulf countries have increasingly relied on ship-to-ship transfers in recent months to evade Iranian detection and bypass Iranian control of the strait.[xxviii]

US-Iran Negotiations

Nothing significant to report.

Iranian Domestic Affairs

Nothing significant to report.

Lebanon

Nothing significant to report.

Iraq

Nothing significant to report.

Arabian Peninsula

The Houthis have continued to launch attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia since CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on October 17. The Saudi JFC reported on October 17 that Saudi air defenses intercepted three likely Houthi drones and two Houthi ballistic missiles in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, Eastern, and Asir provinces.[xxix] The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on military and civilian infrastructure in these regions as part of a broader Houthi campaign to degrade Saudi willingness to sustain military operations against the Houthis and compel Saudi Arabia to meet Houthi demands, which include lifting Saudi controls on Houthi-controlled ports and airports and granting the Houthis control over Yemen’s oil and gas resources.[xxx]