King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

UPDATES: US War on Iran, Day 226 — Houthis Hit Riyadh’s International Airport

UPDATE 1518 GMT:

Crude oil exports from Middle East Gulf producers rose by 4.4 million barrels per day in September to ‌about 75% of pre-war levels, reports the International Energy Agency.

Shipments through the Strait of Hormuz rose by 3.7 million bpd to 10.9 million bpd with an increase in ship-to-ship transfer activity in the Gulf of Oman.

“However, the recent escalation in attacks on regional energy infrastructure and tanker traffic is threatening to derail further gains,” the IEA cautioned.

UPDATE 1234 GMT:

The World Food Programme warns that escalating conflict in Yemen has cut off life-saving food assistance to 800,000 people.

The crisis is worst in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. Ongoing fighting and imminent road closures have left districts hosting thousands of displaced families completely inaccessible. More than 600,000 people in Taiz alone are now cut off, including about 200,000 women and children.

Flour supplies are running out and local market stocks are drying up in areas already facing severe hunger. Across Yemen, more than 18 million people do not have enough to eat, and 74% of households in accessible areas cannot meet their daily food needs.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of an unprecedented influx of wounded people from the frontlines. Health facilities in Marib, Taiz and along the Red Sea coast are most affected, with some receiving more than 700 cases in a single week.

Frontline hospitals are running short of surgical supplies, anaesthetics, oxygen, and medicines.

UPDATE 1229 GMT:

Two commercial vessels were hit by “unknown projectiles” in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, reports the UK Maritime Trade Operations center.

A 50,000-ton container ship suffered minor damage, reported no casualties, and continued its passage.

A 19,000-ton container vessel was struck as it exited the waterway. It also sustained minor damage, with no injuries reported on board, and continued its journey.

UPDATE 1032 GMT:

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say a container ship “carrying contraband” and attempting to pass through “an unauthorized and dangerous route” in the Strait of Hormuz exploded, caught fire, and after striking a naval mine on Wednesday morning.

The Guards said the vessel was carrying 2,500 containers.

UPDATE 0744 GMT:

Pursuing diplomatic initiatives amid the escalation of conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had separate phone calls on Tuesday with counterparts from Oman, Türkiye, and Egypt.

UPDATE 0524 GMT:

Iran has executed another detainee.

Ali-Sina Mostafavi, a mountaineer, was convicted of carrying out armed attacks in Kerman in southeast Iran during the US-Israel War. He was accused of acting in support of Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah’s son, and Israel.

Alongside China as the world’s leading executioner per capita, Iran has hanged scores of detainees during the war.

UPDATE, OCT 14:

Four people were wounded in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh by debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles on Tuesday, reports the Saudi civil defense agency.

The injured included two women and a child. Fifteen homes were damaged.

UPDATE, OCT 13:

Israeli attacks have killed 4,389 people and wounded 12,424 since March 2, reports the Lebanese Health Ministry.

UPDATE 1554 GMT:

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say a supertanker, following an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz, was struck this morning.

The Guards claimed it was the third vessel hit in the waterway in the last two days.

“Like previous offenders, this tanker – having deactivated its navigation system and ignored warnings from the IRGC Navy – intended to exit the Strait of Hormuz and disrupt its order and security,” said the Guards. “Consequently, it was struck.”

UPDATE 1542 GMT:

Saudi Arabia has extended the suspension of all flights to and from the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh amid deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

The airport remains closed to complete verification of its safety, the Saudi aviation authority said. Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson said further missile and drone threats had been detected.

UPDATE 1530 GMT:

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said a planned attack on a Royal Air Force base in southwest England, which hosts US warplanes:

I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard. We will not tolerate these threats on our soil.”

Five men in three white vans were intercepted near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on September 27. They were released when the vans were found not to hold explosives, but a UK-Iran national was subsequently arrested.

Burnham said the UK will pursue new sanctions against Iran.

UPDATE 0430 GMT:

More than 213,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen since hostilities escalated in September, reports the International Organization for Migration.

Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen, says around 60% of those displaced are women and children.

Just over two weeks ago, the number was around 75,000.

Most of the displaced are arriving from Taiz, and about 10 governorates across Yemen are now hosting them, said Esoev. Many are sheltering in open areas where their safety is difficult to guarantee, and food remains a pressing need.

UPDATE, OCT 12:

Saudi officials say they are running low on interceptor missiles to counter strikes by Yemen’s Houthis.

The Saudis are moving missile defense batteries around the kingdom to protect key energy infrastructure and palaces. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is moving carefully between “heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers”, accompanied by hand-picked security guards.

UPDATE 1729 GMT:

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, says the US reply to Iran’s seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “insufficient”.

They have accepted some of our conditions, while others remain unclear.

We are no longer in the process of responding to the Americans. They must clarify the issues that remain unclear to us.

UPDATE 1456 GMT:

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says Riyadh’s King Khalid International ​Airport has been struck again.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said the attack “resulted in injuries, and the assessment of the damage and verification of the safety of the facilities are still under way”.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said six Pakistani nationals were wounded.

The coalition said an “unidentified projectile” hit Terminal 4, which was struck in Saturday’s deadly attack. Witnesses reported hearing a large blast in central Riyadh.

An Indian national wounded in Saturday’s attack on the airport has died, bringing the toll to 13 killed.

UPDATE 1032 GMT:

Yemen’s Houthis have warned travellers and airlines to stay away from Saudi airports following the deadly attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International.

Military spokesman Yahya Sare’e said Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam, are protected. Other Saudi airports and airspace “are exposed to targeting and constitute a theater of operations for our forces”.

Sare’e said the Houthis are pursuing “airport for airport, siege for siege, and escalation for escalation” until they achieve their goals.

UPDATE 0641 GMT:

Following an “incident” off the UAE coast, all 22 Indian crew members aboard an oil tanker have been rescued and are safe.

Indian officials did not give details of the incident.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Twelve civilians were killed and 309 injured by an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Saturday.

A missile struck the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights. The victims include four Saudis, two people from ⁠Bangladesh, and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt.

Yemen’s Houthis, in an escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia in both countries, are suspected of the strike. However, the group has not yet claimed responsibility.

The Saudi-led coalition said the strike was a “full-blown war crime” and a “terrorist act that will be met with a firm response”.

Spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said, “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will respond to this terrorist attack firmly and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.”

The attack was the third on the airport this week. On Wednesday three people were killed, including a pilot, and a Saudia Airlines passenger jet was damaged.

A projectile fell near the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the coalition said. Yemeni Government forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj Governorate, around 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Riyadh. The area hosts the Prince Sultan airbase, jointly operated by Saudi and US forces.