Saudis launch new strikes on Iran-backed Houthis
As President Trump mulls joining Saudi Arabia in attacking the Houthis, the Iran-backed group threatened a "painful" response.
Key points
- Saudi Arabia intercepted two Houthi missiles over Riyadh and Dhahran, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes.
- The U.S. restricted government employee travel and airport use in Saudi Arabia after the strikes.
- The Saudi-led coalition struck oil sites in western Yemen, including Sanaa, in response.
Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh on Tuesday, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes. State-run Saudi Press Agency reported the injured included two women, a man and a child, and images showed broken windows caused by fallen shrapnel.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building at Aramco, one of the world's largest oil facilities, in the country's Eastern Province. No injuries were reported. The attacks came as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged strikes Tuesday night, marking a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis.
US tightens travel rules
The U.S. Department of State announced Tuesday it is requiring government employees to have special authorization from a chief of mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia. Employees are also barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border and need special authorization for travel to Jizan, Asir, Najran, Qatif, Yanbu and Taif.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authorities suspended operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh through Oct. 17. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam remain operational with delays and cancellations.
Any strikes on the capital, Sanaa, will be met with a harsh and painful response in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh.
— Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree
Coalition strikes and regional fallout
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it struck oil sites across western Yemen on Tuesday, including in the capital Sanaa, in response to the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in years. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the targets were facilities used to "supply the war effort" by the Houthis.
A tanker and a container ship were hit by projectiles of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime agency said. The U.K. advised against all but essential travel to large areas of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh.
