US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a video message vowing to fight efforts in Congress to impeach him and defending the Iran war as "courageous and historic" in this week’s midterm elections.

Hegseth's remarks, posted on social media, came as taunts from his foes in Congress intensified and President Donald Trump swatted away questions about whether he might fire Hegseth.

Trump has commended his Pentagon chief.

The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, asked in a post: "Why is Pete Hegseth still around?"

Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fuat Oktay says the alliance is entirely about defence, and not for attacking other countries.

Turkish parliament has ratified the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, clearing the way for Ankara to send military support to Riyadh amid attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia against the kingdom.

Under the agreement, approved by the Turkish lawmakers early on Friday, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all.

Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Fuat Oktay said the alliance is entirely about defence, and not for attacking other countries.

The agreement was approved by 279 votes to 119 in the 600-seat parliament.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that it had brought down two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

In two separate statements, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force used advanced electronic warfare systems to disable the drones over the island, bringing the total number of MQM-170 drones it claimed to have downed to six.

The statements did not provide further details about the incidents.

Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, to be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran’s seven demands, a senior Iranian official has told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US was reviewing the proposal but declined to provide further details.

Mediators have intensified efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States amid fears it could reignite after the US midterm elections, with Trump on Tuesday declining to rule out a resumption of combat operations after the vote and Iran planning wider retaliation if war resumes.

US President Donald Trump has said that he may have to "destroy the rest" of Iran, and that "you’ll know soon enough."

"Now we’ll make a decision: Do we want to go further and just certify it, by certifying it meaning it will never happen again?" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, if possible, but maybe I’ll have to. And you’ll know soon enough," he said.

Hakan Fidan, Abbas Araghchi and other top diplomats discuss regional developments in separate meetings and calls.

Israel: Largest recipient of US aid

Israeli opposition leader expected to receive recommendations from the majority of the 120-seat Knesset once the Joint List formally submits a decision to the president.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi discussed regional developments with US President Donald Trump in a phone call, stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve ongoing crises.

According to a statement from the Iraqi premier’s office, the two leaders stressed the importance of coordination and consultations between Baghdad and Washington to address current challenges, support regional stability, and prioritise diplomatic solutions.

Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq’s position on respecting the sovereignty of states and preventing the use of Iraqi territory as a launching point for attacks against neighbouring countries.

He also stressed the need for peaceful solutions and constructive dialogue to safeguard regional security and stability.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has said that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki announced the interception in a statement, without identifying the drone’s origin or providing details on possible casualties or damage.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have called for prioritising dialogue and giving diplomacy more time to prevent renewed military confrontations in the region and their consequences.

The appeal came during a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry.

Ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki said the two ministers discussed joint efforts to restore calm and prevent regional escalation in coordination with regional and international partners, including the US and Qatar.

Yemen’s government has said that it had neutralised approximately 440 Houthi militia members in 1,298 military operations as part of the ongoing “Dawn of Yemen” offensive.

In a statement on X, Yemeni army spokesperson Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said the operations targeted Houthi positions, gatherings, reinforcements, military vehicles and firing positions, with support from warplanes, drones and artillery.

Al-Nuzaili said government forces, backed by local resistance fighters, captured the Sanamat area in Taiz province.

Israel has issued two new tenders for the construction of 91 settlement units in the northern occupied West Bank and revised the timetable for another settlement tender east of Jerusalem, a Palestinian organisation said.

The Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said in a statement that the two tenders cover land in the illegal Oranit settlement, built on land in the Qalqilya governorate.

The 91 units are divided among seven compounds, with the first tender covering four compounds for 86 multi-story housing units.

The second tender covers three compounds for five low-rise settlement units. Bidding is scheduled to open November 16 and close December 29.

Israeli forces have fired two artillery shells on the outskirts of a rural village southwest of Damascus, according to Syrian Alikhbariah TV.

An Alikhbariah correspondent said the two shells landed in agricultural areas on the outskirts of the village of Beit Jinn.

The broadcaster said Israeli forces had also fired three artillery shells on Wednesday on the outskirts of the Al-Mantara Dam area in central Quneitra.

Israeli attacks have killed four Palestinians, including a woman, and wounded 11 others in Gaza in the latest violations of a ceasefire agreement, according to medical and local sources.

In the latest attack, a Palestinian man was killed, and two others were injured when an Israeli drone struck civilians in the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu.

In central Gaza, another Palestinian man was killed in an Israeli drone strike near the municipality of al-Zawayda, a medical source at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital told Anadolu.

Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has received recommendations from 67 lawmakers, a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, after the Arab Joint List formally informed President Isaac Herzog that it recommends him to form the next government.

The Joint List conveyed its recommendation during consultations with Herzog at the Israeli President’s Residence. The delegation included Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen, Ahmad Tibi, Bakr Awawdeh, Ofer Cassif, and Maha Sabah Karkabi.

“We have decided to endorse Gadi Eisenkot,” the Joint List said.

“We reached this decision unanimously, following consultations among the parties that make up the Joint List. It was not an easy decision,” it added.

The UN has condemned an Israeli illegal settler takeover of Palestinian homes near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, which it said displaced dozens of Palestinians.

“Settlers reportedly used live ammunition, physically assaulted Palestinian residents, and caused some injuries,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

He said Israeli forces then declared a closed military zone, “which has prevented our humanitarian partners from visiting those affected.”

“We once again condemn all of these violent activities by the Israeli settlers,” Dujarric said.

He said 377 illegal Israeli settler attacks causing casualties or damage to Palestinian property have been recorded since September during the olive harvest, the highest number since the UN humanitarian office OCHA began keeping records in 2006.

One Palestinian was killed by an illegal Israeli settler, more than 200 were wounded, and more than 3,850 olive trees and saplings were damaged or vandalised, he said.

Hakan Fidan, Abbas Araghchi and other top diplomats discuss regional developments in separate meetings and calls.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has discussed in separate phone calls with his Saudi and Qatari counterparts the "latest progress" in diplomatic efforts aimed at establishing stability in the region, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Talks between Riyadh and Tehran have been ongoing amid intensified attacks in Yemen, while Qatar, along with Pakistan, has been mediating between the US and Iran in an effort to end the wider war.