AUSTRIA: Austrian police on Wednesday raided an apartment building in Vienna, where some of a group of 100 mostly Christian Iranians have resided for more than a year, pending final approval for asylum in the United States. Police seized most documents and passports and are threatening the Iranians with deportation following a U.S. decision to deny asylum to some or all of the refugees, sources close to the cases told me.

SYRIA: Suppose the battle for Idlib turned out to be the turning point in modern Middle East geopolitics, with historians looking back on it as the moment Western powers ceased to have influence in the region and Russia and Iran took over? It’s not far-fetched, according to this analysis.

UNITED NATIONS: Eight countries joined the United States in voting against a resolution to condemn it for its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel—a combative chapter closing a combative year for the United States on the world stage. In the vote, 35 countries abstained, including leading U.S. allies Canada and Australia, and 128 voted in favor, including most European nations and Great Britain.

Yemeni rebels fired a missile into Saudi Arabia on Monday, hoping to hit the royal palace in the kingdom’s capital. Saudi defense systems intercepted the ballistic “Volcano H-2” missile as it flew over southern Riyadh. The projectile did not do any damage. A spokesman for the Houthi rebels confirmed the attack and said the rebels hoped the missile would land in Yamama Palace, where King Salman holds weekly government meetings and entertains world leaders and dignitaries.

Suspected Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen late Tuesday and early Wednesday killed at least 15 people and injured more than 30 others. The airstrikes, which took place in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa, targeted a military police camp. Mohammed al-Aqel, one of the guards at the camp, told the AFP news agency there were at least five airstrikes that damaged several buildings and a perimeter wall.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 20 people as they continued their crackdown since the death of their top former ally, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s official news agency said. The Houthis killed Saleh after accusing him of betraying their alliance because he indicated he might be willing to cooperate with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. Since his death, the rebels have worked to quash any sign of opposition among their former allies from Saleh’s party, including shutting down the internet and tightening their media blackout.

Saudi Arabia on Monday said it will allow movie theaters to operate in the country for the first time in more than three decades. The Board of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media passed a resolution to grant licenses to cinemas beginning in March. In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia shut down movie theaters amid a wave of ultraconservatism. “It’s spectacular news,” Saudi actor and producer Hisham Fageeh posted on Twitter.