Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting the Yemeni government, said Thursday (October 15, 2026) during a press conference attended by Agence France-Presse, “The terrorist Houthi militias worked to obtain advanced technologies with the help of regional parties,” noting that the Houthis possess “ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and explosive speedboats.”
The coalition said that the Houthi militia, supported by Iran, carried out about 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh since October 1, indicating that the Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia with a total of 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones launched at the Kingdom since the start of operations.
Al-Maliki called on the Houthis to "immediately stop all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian objects, including airports, ports, oil installations and infrastructure."
On the other hand, the coalition confirmed that it destroyed more than 120 weapons depots in the mountains of Yemen and many launching pads.
In a related context, the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Raed Qirmeli, confirmed during a video briefing with journalists today, Thursday, that “at the beginning of this escalation, we asked them (the Houthis) to meet in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, but they refused. That was the last communication that took place a few weeks ago,” noting at the same time “to maintain direct channels of communication with the Houthis.”
He accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis in the recent escalation against the Kingdom, stressing that the Islamic Republic continues to "arm, train and support" Yemeni fighters.
The European Union said today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), that it postponed a summit with the Gulf states that was scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on October 24, in light of increasing security concerns in the Kingdom as a result of attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group.
The bloc did not clarify details about the reason for the postponement, only saying that a new date would be announced “at the appropriate time.”
The postponement is a new blow to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to host international events despite the escalation of the war with the Houthis.
The European Union intended, in part, to hold the summit to show solidarity with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia in the midst of the war, but the decision to cancel it confirms the seriousness of the situation.
At the weekend, 13 people were killed and hundreds injured in strikes targeting Riyadh International Airport, for which the Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility. The airport, through which senior guests participating in the summit were supposed to arrive, remains closed after the attacks.
The European Union said it still sees "great strategic importance" to the relationship between the two regions, and added that it will remain committed to "consolidating" this partnership.
CNN reported today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), citing American officials, that the US military has made plans to launch strikes that may include the use of a GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders the resumption of combat operations.
The use of this bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal, would be considered a dangerous escalation in the conflict, but officials familiar with military planning discussions told CNN that questions remain about its feasibility in achieving Washington's strategic goals.
The US military announced on Wednesday the destruction of a ship linked to Iran. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region (Centcom), said on the X platform that US forces attacked the ship last week. She added that the ship was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the Gulf of Oman, and targeted US Navy ships, noting that its crew had been evacuated to a safe place before the attack.
Before the United States and Israel began their war against Iran at the end of February, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, was largely uninterrupted. After the outbreak of the war, Iranian threats and attacks caused maritime traffic to almost stop. The US military also launched repeated attacks on civilian Iranian ships.
Officials in the maritime shipping sector said on Wednesday that a container ship and a dry bulk cargo ship sank near the Strait of Hormuz during the past 24 hours, after they were targeted by projectiles in two separate incidents.
Maritime security sources said that the GFS Pride, a small container ship flying the Singapore flag and with a capacity of 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent containers, sank while sailing through the strait. The Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore said in a statement on Wednesday: “The ship 'GFS Pride' was damaged and a fire broke out on board, and then sank. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely, and there were no reports of injuries,” noting that the ship was sailing through the strait the day before yesterday, Tuesday.
In a separate incident, data from the United Nations International Maritime Organization showed that the ship (Cape Dow), flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, sank near the strait, weeks after it was targeted by a projectile on September 23. Naval sources said that one of the crew members was killed, while the rest of the crew was evacuated immediately after the strike. It has not yet been possible to obtain a comment from the company operating the Cape Dow ship, which is the UAE-based company (Biones Ship Management).
An analysis of maritime accident data issued by the International Maritime Organization indicates that the Pride and Cape Dow are the second and third ships to sink since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran on February 28.
