Iran war updates: Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia

We will be closing this live page shortly. Here’s a recap of the day’s major developments:

• The Saudi-led coalition has said it has intercepted Houthi cruise missiles in al-Kharj governorate, Riyadh and the eastern coastal cities of Dammam and Dhahran, as well as Haradh.
• An attack on a Saudi Aramco building in Dhahran has caused a small fire and prompted evacuations, while debris from intercepted missiles in the Saudi capital has injured four people and damaged 15 homes.
• Yemen’s armed forces have said they have conducted 2,200 targeted operations against the Houthis in 24 hours.
• The Houthi-affiliated health ministry has said two people have been killed and two others injured in a Saudi attack on an oil company in Ras Isa in the Hodeidah governorate.
• The US embassy has issued travel warnings and restrictions for citizens and government workers in Saudi Arabia.
• Israeli forces have injured at least three Palestinians, including a 14-year-old who was shot, during raids on Palestinian non-governmental organisations in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
• Australia, Canada, France and the UK have pressed the Palestinian Authority to proceed with scheduled elections without delay.

This live page is closing, but our 24-hour coverage of the conflict continues.

Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

Washington is rejecting reports that Iran has transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah, and is questioning how and where the group is getting the money to provide reconstruction assistance to families who have been affected by the war with Israel in southern Lebanon.

I spoke directly with US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, who referred to the ongoing economic pressure campaign by the US against Iran … saying that it has effectively cut off Tehran’s ability to finance its proxy networks, speaking specifically about Hezbollah, the Trump administration taking it one step further, saying that whatever revenue Hezbollah does have is coming from illicit sources.

Hezbollah has reportedly announced plans to provide reconstruction assistance of up to $14,000 to families in southern Lebanon.

The State Department is also rejecting that claim, saying that this is a publicity stunt by Hezbollah.

Instead, the State Department is pointing to … a US-backed trilateral framework signed in June between the US, Israel and Lebanon, saying that through it, billions of dollars in reconstruction assets could be freed up, contingent on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Israeli forces have raided Palestinian non-governmental organisations in central Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, injuring at least three Palestinians, including a 14-year-old who was shot.

Soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades, and entered the courtyard of the Palestine Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the occupied West Bank.

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim reports from Ramallah:

The Saudi Civil Defence says four people have been injured and 15 residential properties damaged after debris from two intercepted cruise missiles fell on the capital, Riyadh.

A spokesperson said the missiles were launched by Yemen’s Houthi group and were intercepted and destroyed, adding the injured included two women, a man and a child.

As we reported earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted and destroyed three Houthi cruise missiles targeting Riyadh, and that Saudi air defence systems shot down two drones in the southern region.

Iran and Oman’s foreign ministers have discussed the latest regional developments, including the situation in Yemen, in a recent phone call, according to a statement issued via Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s Telegram channel.

Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, explored ways to achieve peace and stability in the region, the statement said.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia says US government workers now require special authorisation from the chief of mission to use any airport in the kingdom following the recent attacks.

It said Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation had extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh through Saturday, and that King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are operational but with some delays and cancellations.

The embassy urged US citizens to be aware of potential attacks on airports, flight cancellations, airspace closures and disruptions, and to take “extreme caution” if they choose to use Saudi airports.

As we’ve been reporting, Yemen’s Houthis have repeatedly attacked five Saudi airports in recent days, leading to fatalities and hundreds of wounded.

Mourners in Beheira, Egypt, bid farewell to 28-year-old Azza Ramzy, a Flynas flight attendant killed in a Houthi attack on the Riyadh airport.

She was among 13 people killed in the October 10 attack, which was the deadliest on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Watch our video for more:

Aidarus al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen’s former Southern Transitional Council (STC), has called on the population to rise up against the Houthis.

Al-Zubaidi announced “a general popular mobilisation to defend the south” and what he called a “national liberation project”. He described the Houthi military offensive as part of an “Iranian expansionist project”.

He said a “massive rally” will be held in the southern city of Aden, the capital of the internationally recognised government, and other southern governorates on Wednesday.

Al-Zubaidi pledged to work towards “the right to self-determination and the restoration of an independent, fully sovereign state”.

He also condemned the ongoing Houthi attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, demanding international intervention against “militia terrorism”.

US State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott spoke to Al Jazeera earlier today.

The following are some highlights from the interview:

• Pigott said that US President Trump continues to prefer a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Iran, adding that Tehran must choose between negotiations and facing further consequences.
• He reiterated that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and that Trump intends to achieve that objective one way or another.
• He claimed oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are now exceeding pre-conflict levels, excluding Iranian oil, which remains subject to a US blockade.
• He said Washington has been fulfilling its commitments to Saudi Arabia and will continue to live up to its commitments to its ally amid escalating Houthi attacks on the country. However, he declined to preview any potential US action.
• Pigott categorically rejected reports that Iran transferred $200m to Hezbollah last month and claimed the group’s remaining revenue comes from drug trafficking and collaboration with cartels, rather than Tehran’s financial support.

Residents of Yemen’s Taiz province face a worsening humanitarian crisis as renewed fighting and a prolonged blockade disrupt access to essential supplies.

Severe shortages of food and fuel have driven up prices, leaving families struggling to afford basic necessities during deteriorating security conditions and continued attacks on civilian areas.

Taiz city’s healthcare system is also under increasing pressure, with medical workers warning that dwindling supplies of medicine, equipment, and fuel could force critical hospital departments to suspend services.

Watch below:

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has called on Yemen’s Houthis to immediately stop “reckless attacks on infrastructure and civilians” in Saudi Arabia in a post on X.

It expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying Stephen Doughty, the UK’s minister of state for the Middle East, held important discussions with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Khereiji and Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba, regarding the situation in both countries.

Israel has carried out air strikes on southern Lebanon’s Wadi al-Salouqi, a forested area near the town of Shaqra, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

At least two people have been killed in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district in Israeli attacks over the past week, according to Lebanese state media and local authorities.

The coalition says it intercepted and destroyed three Houthi cruise missiles targeting the capital Riyadh.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on X air defence systems also shot down two drones in the southern region.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says a tanker has been hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement did not provide details and said authorities are investigating.

Strikes around the strategic Strait of Hormuz have picked up again as mediated efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain deadlocked.

At least a dozen ships were attacked over the week ending on October 5, the highest number since the war began. At least one was hit off the north coast of Qatar, signalling that the danger extends beyond the Hormuz passage as Iran and the US vie for control.