🇸🇦🕋⚡️ Attempted Suicide Bombing Foiled at Great Mosque in Makkah

▪️ An attempted suicide bombing at the Kaaba prayer area at the Great Mosque in Makkah was reportedly foiled.

🇸🇦🕋⚡️ Kaaba Suicide Bomber Apprehended at Grand Mosque in Makkah

▪️ The suspected suicide bomber was apprehended by security forces at the King Abdulaziz Gate, the southern entrance of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

🇪🇹🇪🇷⚡ Eritrean Troops Reportedly Cross Into Ethiopia, According to DW

▪️ Two Afar opposition groups told Deutsche Welle that Eritrean troops have crossed into Ethiopian territory and are involved in fighting in the Afar region.

▪️ The groups cited information from internal Eritrean sources and alleged Eritrean forces participated in fighting in Erbeti and Ab Ala.

🇪🇹🇪🇷 Ethiopia Closes Embassy in Eritrea, Expels 10 Eritrean Diplomats

▪️ Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats in Addis Ababa persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave.

🇪🇹🇪🇬 Ethiopia Expels Egyptian Diplomat

▪️ Following the closure of its embassy in Asmara and the expulsion of Eritrean diplomats, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry declared Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Moharam Ahmed Soliman persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours.

🌍🇪🇬🇪🇹🇪🇷 African Union Urges “Maximum Restraint”

▪️ The African Union called for “maximum restraint” and urged Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea to avoid actions that could further escalate tensions and lead to increased fighting.

‼️🇺🇸🇮🇷 U.S. Sends Third Carrier Group and Up to 10,000 Troops to Middle East

▪️ The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon plans to send up to 10,000 troops and a third carrier strike group to the Middle East, with forces expected to arrive by the end of November.

▪️ The deployment comes as Trump considers resuming strikes on Iran if a deal is not reached. The USS Theodore Roosevelt has already departed San Diego, while the USS Makin Island amphibious group has also deployed.

🇪🇪🇷🇺🇧🇾 Estonia Bans Transit of Russian and Belarusian Grain

▪️ Estonia’s foreign minister said the country is banning the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain through its territory.

▪️ Russian grain shipments through Estonia are currently zero.

🇺🇸🇾🇪⚡ U.S. Energy Department Employee Arrested Over Alleged Support for Ansarallah

▪️ The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of 51-year-old Ashton Hamad Ellaboudy, a Department of Energy employee, for allegedly attempting to provide material support to Ansarallah.

▪️ Prosecutors allege Ellaboudy traveled to Ansarallah-controlled Yemen, helped with communications systems, and acquired components for improvised explosives and UAVs.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group Departs for Middle East

▪️ According to Axios, the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have departed San Diego for the Middle East.

▪️ The group includes the USS Makin Island, USS Anchorage and USS John P. Murtha, carrying around 2,200 U.S. Marines and approximately a dozen F-35B fighters, along with armored vehicles.

🇺🇸⚡️ Raytheon Awarded $24.4B Contract for SM-6 Interceptors

▪️ Raytheon has secured a five-year U.S. Navy contract, with two additional option years, valued at up to $24.4 billion to increase SM-6 production.
▪️ The deal comes as U.S. missile inventories have been depleted by the Iran war. CSIS estimated the SM-6 inventory had fallen from 1,160 pre-war to 790–970 by April, with further use since then.