Day 227 | New Houthi strike hits Riyadh airport

Saudi Civil Defense issued an immediate alert via the National Early Warning Platform to warn residents of incoming hazards in Khamis Mushait governorate.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree issued a statement on Monday evening claiming that Houthi armed forces launched a ballistic missile targeting King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Saree alleged that the missile strike resulted in a precise hit on the airport facility in the Saudi capital.

In a related development, Saree reported that Houthi forces conducted a separate military operation utilizing a drone to strike Khamis Mushait Airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia, claiming that the unmanned aircraft achieved a direct hit on its intended target.

Following the claimed attacks, Saree renewed the group's alleged warnings to international commercial airlines, aviation experts, foreign employees, and travelers worldwide regarding flight operations into Saudi Arabia.

The spokesperson warned against operating flights toward Saudi airports, claiming they're unsafe for transit and travel, while allegedly excepting the holy sites and surrounding airspace of Mecca and Medina from their targeting threat.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued a warning after receiving a verified report that a container vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound through the Strait of Hormuz on October 11, 2026.

UKMTO WARNING 167-26 Click here to view the full warning https://t.co/ceKH2YJ4Bl #MaritimeSecurity #MarSec https://t.co/MsuodHUp7o

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) October 12, 2026

Several powerful explosions shook the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Monday night, moments after residents received emergency mobile phone alerts warning of an incoming hostile aerial threat.

The official emergency notification sent via the National Early Warning Platform instructed citizens and residents across the capital to take immediate safety precautions.

"The area is under a hostile aerial threat. Please remain calm, stay indoors or in a safe place away from windows and doors," the emergency alert read.

Shortly following the blasts, Coalition Forces Spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki confirmed that air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia toward Riyadh.

The Saudi Civil Defense subsequently issued an "all clear" notification, announcing that the immediate danger to the capital had passed while urging residents to follow official safety instructions.

Saudi-Led Coalition forces supporting legitimacy in Yemen intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, according to Coalition Spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki.

The Saudi Civil Defense announced that the threat to the city of Riyadh has ended and issued an "all clear" notification following an earlier emergency alert, which lasted for 11 minutes.

The Saudi Civil Defense announced the activation of an emergency alert via the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh to warn residents of an imminent threat and urge caution.

• The official urged employees and workers at Saudi oil installations and airports to stay clear of these facilities
• The warnings follow intensified Houthi drone and missile strikes targeting Saudi infrastructure

A senior Houthi official warned on Monday that the movement would launch an "immediate and devastating response" against US interests across the region if Washington intervenes in the ongoing conflict between Houthi forces and Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansar Allah’s political bureau, told AFP that any US involvement in aggression against Yemen would be met without hesitation.

"If the United States gets involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate on the decision to respond; there will be a rapid and painful response targeting America and all its interests in the region wherever our hands can reach," Bukhaiti said.

Addressing the intensifying cross-border aerial strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, Bukhaiti issued a direct warning to civilian personnel working in Saudi infrastructure. 

He urged all workers and employees at Saudi oil facilities and airports to keep their distance, declaring these sites "legitimate targets" as the situation moves toward full-scale military escalation.

The British government has taken decisive diplomatic and punitive measures against Tehran, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband summoning the Iranian ambassador to London Seyed Ali Mousavi following an attempted attack on RAF Fairford airbase linked directly to Iranian security forces.

Foreign Secretary Miliband stated that Iran's attempts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and its partners through criminal networks and proxy groups are "completely unacceptable," emphasizing that the UK will not tolerate threats on its soil.

As part of the initial response, the UK sanctioned two Iranian nationals for their role in hostile activities conducted on behalf of the Iranian regime.

Miliband reiterated that the government will never back down from its commitment to counter Iran’s unacceptable actions and protect national security.

IRGC involvement

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that the attempted strike on the Fairford airbase was highly likely coordinated from within Iran under the direct guidance of the IRGC.

Burnham declared that the UK will impose further sanctions on Iran in response to the Fairford incident, underscoring that British intelligence and security services remain vigilant against state-sponsored threats to domestic military infrastructure.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the recent security incident targeting a joint US-UK airbase was "almost certainly directed" by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will remain closed until 2100 GMT on October 17, according to a newly issued Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), following a series of deadly Houthi attacks targeting the facility.

Three in four households in Yemen are unable to meet their basic food needs as fighting intensifies across the country, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

“Recent WFP monitoring in accessible areas found that 74 percent of households are unable to meet their basic food needs,” the UN agency said in a post on X.

The WFP described the figure as the highest recorded this year, warning that food security is deteriorating significantly.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced from their homes as fighting has escalated in recent weeks, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The worsening conflict has compounded humanitarian needs in Yemen, where millions of people depend on assistance to access food and other essential supplies.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said exchanges of messages with the United States are continuing through mediators as Tehran reviews Washington’s response to its latest proposal.

The ministry said Iran would inform mediators once it reaches a conclusion regarding the US response.

Iran warned that security in the Strait of Hormuz would not be restored as long as the US blockade and economic pressure against the country continue.

The ministry also rejected US claims that the strait had been reopened and that Iran had lost its leverage over the strategic waterway, saying those claims did not reflect the situation on the ground.

Tehran added that Washington had imposed new sanctions on Iran recently and called for their removal.

The ministry said Iran’s proposal to the United States included commitments outlined in a memorandum of understanding.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also said Tehran had expressed readiness to make good offices available to help facilitate talks between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser has warned that pressure on global energy supplies will intensify until the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened.

Speaking at the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Nasser said the global crude oil supply squeeze was “serious,” adding that rising refined fuel prices were compounding the challenges facing energy markets.

Nasser said commercial offshore inventories, which serve as a buffer for global oil supplies, were currently “well below” six billion barrels, with the vast majority of available stocks locked up.

He warned that replenishing inventories while continuing to meet global demand could take up to two years.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh.

In a post on X, the authority said the extension was necessary to complete procedures to verify the safety of the airport’s facilities and assess its operational readiness.

The authority did not specify when airport operations would resume.

Yemen’s government forces announced on Monday that they had carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Taiz province in the country’s southwest.

In a statement, the government-affiliated Taiz Military Axis said the strikes targeted Houthi positions in the areas of Al-Arsum and Al-Maraziqan, as well as Sixtieth Street, north of Taiz city.

The statement added that further airstrikes targeted Mount Al-Munam and Al-Khalwa Hill west of the city, along with the Central Security Camp to the east.

The ‘Israeli’ army said its forces launched an interceptor missile toward a “suspicious aerial target” detected moments earlier in an area of operations in southern Lebanon.

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has warned that Iran could target US-linked technology infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and around the Strait of Hormuz if fighting with the United States resumes.

In a 30-minute interview published online by Iran’s state-owned Press TV, Rezaei identified undersea cables, data centers, artificial intelligence facilities and other sites he described as valuable US assets in the region.

“The United States has extremely expensive assets in the UAE and around the Strait of Hormuz,” Rezaei said.

“We have not yet included these assets among our targets. But if war breaks out, many of these cables, data centres, artificial intelligence facilities and numerous other sites will be destroyed,” he added.

Rezaei described the infrastructure as the “pulse of the American economy in this region,” claiming the assets were worth more than $2 trillion.

He did not provide a detailed breakdown of the valuation or identify specific facilities that could be targeted.

The warning raises concerns about the potential impact of renewed hostilities on critical digital infrastructure across the Gulf, where data centers and telecommunications networks support regional and international services.

Rezaei also said Iran was prepared to deploy additional military capabilities if the United States launched another attack. He argued that Tehran had deliberately refrained from using all its capabilities during the opening week of the previous confrontation.

“We did not act in a way that would reveal all our capabilities in the first week. Had we done so, we would have had little left to use afterwards,” he said.

“Today, if another confrontation takes place, we will certainly face the enemy with a much broader and more extensive plan,” he added.

Rezaei’s remarks suggest that any renewed conflict could extend beyond direct military targets to technology and communications infrastructure across the region. However, his statements do not establish that specific facilities have been selected for attack.

Houthi-affiliated media reported on Monday that Saudi airstrikes targeted areas in the capital, Sanaa, and Taiz province, causing significant property damage.

The outlets said one strike hit a residential neighborhood near Airport Road in the Al-Thawra district of Sanaa. Another reportedly targeted Hamdan district in Sanaa province.

In Taiz province, Houthi-affiliated media reported that an airstrike struck a residential building in central Al-Turbah, in the Al-Shamayatayn district, causing extensive property damage.

An ‘Israeli’ soldier was wounded in an “operational incident” in southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to ‘Israeli’ army radio.