Britain says it will expand its military support to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In southern Yemen, the death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government training camp rose to 73. And the United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz, where Houthi strikes on Tuesday killed two people and wounded six.

Meanwhile, an Israeli attack on an apartment in Gaza killed two people and wounded others. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas militant.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.

Britain extends ‘defensive’ military support for Saudi Arabia

Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Royal Air Force Typhoon jets would “conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack.”

That means the British planes would shoot down airborne drones or missiles, but not strike Houthi targets on the ground, Streeting said.

The U.K. also is sending a military transport and an unspecified number of military advisers to Saudi Arabia, and is extending its offer to provide in-air refueling of Saudi planes operating against the Iran-backed rebels for another 90 days, Streeting said.

Pre-dawn Israeli attack on Gaza apartment kills 2

The attack before dawn Tuesday killed a husband and wife and wounded others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant. Other Israeli strikes on Monday killed at least four people.

Israel's military has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last year, according to the territory’s health ministry, which maintains detailed records and is regarded as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll but says women and children account for nearly half of those killed.

Death toll from Houthi attack on training camp reaches 73

The recruits were all aged between 18 and 20, and some were still missing a day after the Iranian-backed rebels hit the government's al-Alam military training camp with ballistic missiles, Shabwa governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir told The Associated Press as he announced the new death toll.

Monday’s strike was part of a recent surge of fighting in Yemen, which started when forces from the internationally-recognized government and Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport in July, shattering a 2022 ceasefire deal that had largely paused Yemen's civil war.

UN says Houthi siege of Taiz risks humanitarian crisis

A Houthi missile hit a residential area in the besieged city of Taiz on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and wounding six other people, local authorities said.

The Houthis have besieged Yemen’s third-largest city as part of their monthslong offensive against Yemeni government forces, repeatedly targeting it with missiles and artillery.

The rebels have largely encircled the city and cut off most supply routes from government-held areas, putting civilians at “grave risk,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The siege has sent prices soaring, leaving many residents without food and other necessities.

“Humanitarian aid must be immediately allowed to enter the city and its passage must be facilitated. Civilians wishing to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely,” Türk said.

Qatar says Israel isn't committed to negotiating an end to Gaza war

A senior Qatari official says Israeli leaders are instead focused only on “war and death and destruction” in the leadup to Israel’s first national elections since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

“Sadly, right now we do not have a partner for peace in Israel,” said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry and adviser to the Qatari prime minister, speaking to The Associated Press on stage at the Global Security Forum in Doha.

Al-Ansari said: “You look at all the statements coming out from all the political parties and all the political candidates right now in the elections. Does any of them even talk about peace with Palestinians? Does any of them even talk about stability of the region?”

Qatar also warned that Iran's targeting of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and threats to undersea internet cables would cause the greatest harm to countries in the region, including Iran itself. Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, director of the Foreign Ministry's media department, said such actions “must stop immediately.”

Netanyahu holds call with Trump over Iran

Netanyahu suggested that Israel and the United States could launch new attacks on Iran in a video he posted of a call with Trump.

During the call, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement, which came about a week before Israel’s national elections. Netanyahu faces a tight reelection race widely viewed as a referendum on his leadership before and after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack and through a series of inconclusive wars, including with Iran.

“Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we’ll finish it together. We’ll finish it, and no one else will do it,” Netanyahu said in the video.

Iran says it won't surrender enriched nuclear material

Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei said during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir on Tuesday that Iran won't negotiate with the United States until Washington takes steps to build trust and meets Tehran’s conditions.

Rezaei added in a statement reported by Iran’s state broadcaster that his country would not surrender “a single particle of enriched nuclear material.”

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.