Iran-backed Houthi militants fired missiles and drones into Saudi Arabian territory on Monday, just days after their deadly strike on a Riyadh airport, according to Saudi-coalition forces in Yemen.
Coalition forces backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government reported the new barrage but did not specify targets. It is unclear whether any of the missiles or drones were intercepted.
Over the weekend, Houthi forces launched missiles and drones at Saudi airports, causing multiple deaths and forcing King Khalid International Airport, one of the country’s busiest, to close until Oct. 17.
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A Houthi missile struck King Khalid International in Riyadh on Saturday, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 300, according to Saudi authorities. India’s embassy said an Indian national injured in the attack later died, bringing the toll to 13.
On Sunday, another projectile struck a terminal at the same airport, killing a Pakistani resident and wounding 11, Saudi authorities reported.
The airport strikes mark a major escalation in Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis. In recent weeks, the rebels have not only increased their ground attacks on Saudi-backed Yemeni forces but also have launched missiles and drones at oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia proper.
An attack last month on the kingdom’s East-West pipeline caused Aramco to shut down production for several days for repairs. The pipeline had served as a major bypass around Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The attack prompted Riyadh to call on its allies for military assistance, invoking the recently signed Mecca Defense Pact with Turkey and Pakistan. While neither country has committed ground troops to Yemen to fight the Houthis directly, both have agreed to send military resources, including troops, to Saudi Arabia.
Houthi forces have made significant territorial gains against government forces in recent weeks, particularly along the western Red Sea coast and around Taiz. The gains give the rebels a foothold along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, potentially making it easier for them to target Saudi-linked tankers.
Yemeni government forces have escalated ground and air campaigns in recent days. They say they have retaken the port city of Mocha and the Dhubab district on the western coast, but the Houthis have denied those claims, which have not been independently confirmed.
There was some indication on Monday that the kingdom’s Persian Gulf neighbors are increasingly concerned about Riyadh’s exposed position against the Houthis.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, told the WPC Energy Congress that the attacks on Saudi Arabia are a threat to the security of all Gulf states and called for the revival of joint Gulf action on defense.
The U.S. has mostly stayed out of direct combat in Saudi Arabia’s war with the Houthis. But President Trump said Saturday he was considering joining the attacks on the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia’s conflict with the Houthis, which began when the kingdom intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, had been mostly on pause since 2022. But the war with Iran that the U.S. and Israel launched in February reignited the conflict this summer, as the Houthis established a blockade against Saudi ships in the Red Sea in support of Tehran.
The U.S.-Iran war does not appear any closer to a diplomatic resolution nearly eight months after it began.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it was reviewing the latest U.S. peace proposal and would respond via intermediaries once the process was complete.
Tehran wants to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and accuses Washington of undermining diplomacy by continuing to raise nuclear issues in recent proposals, spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Details of the latest proposals exchanged between Iran and the U.S. by Qatari and Pakistani mediators have not been made public.
Iranian officials said late last month that they proposed a peace deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade and easing sanctions. Mr. Trump rejected the plan.
Iran and the U.S. have had no diplomatic agreement since July, when the memorandum broke down over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday that the latest U.S. response to Iranian demands was unsatisfactory and that Washington needs to clarify certain issues before diplomacy can continue.
Mr. Rezaei added that if the U.S. restarts attacks, Tehran would not hesitate to target artificial intelligence data centers and communication cables in the region. Iranian officials have vowed to strike civilian infrastructure if the U.S. attacks again.
Iran is suspected of recently attempting a foiled attack on American forces operating in Britain, where Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday it is “highly likely” Tehran played a role in coordinating a plot targeting an air base used by the U.S.
“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” Mr. Burnham said in a speech to Parliament.
Earlier this month, authorities foiled a suspected terror attack at the RAF Fairford military base. Police arrested five men after they were spotted by residents exiting three large white vans.
Police found no explosives or weapons on the men or in the vans but did find an unspecified amount of gasoline, an accelerant. All five men were released on bail just a day after their arrest.
U.K. counterterrorism police have arrested at least three other individuals they say may have been involved in the incident this month. The suspects have been released on bail.
RAF Fairford has been used by the U.S. to launch bombing raids against targets in Iran during the war, which began in late February. Iranian officials have said that the base, and others like it, would be a legitimate target for retaliatory strikes.
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