Saudi Arabia says Houthi missile attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed three civilians and wounded others, as airlines suspend flights, the EU condemns the strikes, and the Iran-backed campaign sharpens the wider Middle East conflict.
Saudi civil defense officials said a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh were damaged by debris from a missile interception Thursday, while Yemen’s Houthis claimed attacks on the capital’s airport and other Saudi sites.
Saudi officials said an Egyptian, an Algerian and a Sudanese national were among the dead, with 36 others wounded. The Houthis claimed missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Abha, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a missile and struck 82 targets in response.
Saudi-backed forces gave conflicting reports over whether they had also seized Mokha, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as Houthis denied losses and launched retaliatory attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Brent crude held near $100 on Monday as Saudi-backed forces and Iran-backed Houthis battled over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, offsetting signs that Middle East oil exports have climbed back to prewar levels.
The Iran-backed Houthis said they targeted an oil facility in Riyadh with missiles and drones, while Saudi warplanes struck Sanaa dozens of times. The exchange deepens a renewed war that has worsened Yemen's humanitarian crisis and left Taiz a key battleground.
The Indian captain fought off a violent attack by his copilot, helped stop an apparent hijacking of a Flydubai flight bound for Israel with more than 170 people aboard, and is now being hailed as a hero.
Investigators are still trying to determine why an Omani copilot stabbed his captain aboard a FlyDubai flight from the UAE to Israel, forcing the Boeing 737 Max 8 into a steep descent and an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The captain is in stable condition, officials say, and the suspect is in Saudi custody.
Israeli officials say passengers and crew stopped an alleged jihadist attack after a pilot was stabbed aboard a Dubai-to-Israel flight. The plane landed safely, and passengers later reached Tel Aviv.
Houthi authorities said an airstrike hit a shopping area near Taiz’s central market, killing at least seven people and wounding 40. They blamed Saudi Arabia’s air force, while Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its aircraft struck a Houthi depot. The claims could not be independently verified.
The Saudi-led coalition says its forces destroyed two Houthi drones headed for Riyadh and intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait. No casualties or damage were reported, but the attempted strike highlights the Houthis' expanding reach and the risks to regional security.
Presidential Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi called for general mobilization against the Iran-backed Houthis and said fighters who defect and stop fighting will receive full amnesty starting September 26.
Shehbaz Sharif condemns strikes on Saudi Arabia as Pakistani, Saudi and Turkish military chiefs meet in Riyadh to advance the Mecca defense pact and discuss closer coordination.
The U.K. is providing defensive military support to Saudi Arabia as Houthi rebels push along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, threatening the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint and adding new pressure to global energy markets.
Ankara’s offer of support to Riyadh could put the newly signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement to its first major test, but analysts remain divided over whether it will translate into direct military involvement.
An Israeli man was fatally shot in the northern West Bank on the eve of Yom Kippur, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man accused of a ramming attempt near Jenin, and Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait condemned a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh. In Iraq, six French nationals suspected of Islamic State ties went on trial.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Ankara could help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs under a trilateral defense pact, as Houthi attacks intensify and Gulf states worry about being drawn into the wider U.S.-Iran war.
Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked sensitive sites in Riyadh with missiles and drones, hours after flames and thick smoke were seen near the Saudi capital’s main airport. Saudi air defenses said they intercepted a missile, while Washington urged caution across the Middle East.
A plume of black smoke rose near King Khalid International Airport after Saudi Arabia issued rare air-raid alerts for Riyadh, disrupting flights and deepening fears of a wider conflict with Yemen’s Houthis.
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at an Aramco fuel depot near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport after overnight warnings sent residents indoors and briefly disrupted flights, residents and tracking data said.
