The Saudi-led coalition in support of the internationally recognized government in Yemen announced today, Wednesday (October 7, 2026), that it had destroyed a ballistic missile launch pad used in the attack on Riyadh, hours after it announced the interception and destruction of a missile north of the capital launched by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Coalition Forces spokesman, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said in a statement on Wednesday evening, “The brutal attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia on civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom, the most recent of which was the targeting of King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport, have not and will not go unaccounted for.”
He pointed out that the joint forces of the coalition "carried out a comprehensive attack that included the destruction of a total of 82 legitimate Houthi military targets in the governorates of Saada, Al-Hodeidah, Al-Jawf, and Ma'rib. He explained that the group of targets included "11 ballistic missile depots in mountainous areas in Saada, command and control centers, communications systems, missile and weapons stores, and headquarters of Houthi terrorist groups."
Deaths and injuries
For its part, the Saudi authorities announced the killing of three people and the injury of 36 others in attacks that targeted Abha Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday, without specifying who carried them out, noting that the Houthis announced targeting the two airports.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation said that the attack on Abha Airport resulted in the killing of two Egyptian and Algerian residents, and the injury of 28 people, including two residents of Bangladeshi and Filipino nationalities.
At King Khalid Airport, a Sudanese resident was killed and eight people were injured, including five Saudis, two Egyptian residents, and a Pakistani resident. The injuries ranged from minor to severe, according to the same source.
The Houthis announce the targeting of Saudi airports
Earlier today, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said that they targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile this morning, pointing out that the hit was “accurate” and “led to the disruption of navigation at the airport,” after he had announced that it had been targeted by “a number of drones.”
The "Flight Radar 24" website, which tracks navigational traffic, reported that flights heading to Riyadh flew "in a waiting area away from the airport" for at least thirty minutes because planes stopped landing at the airport, before operations resumed there.
Today, Wednesday (October 7, 2026), France summoned the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to protest “the disinformation campaign launched by the Iranian authorities regarding the movement of high school students in France,” according to what the French Foreign Ministry spokesman announced.
“The ambassador was informed that the false materials published online by official accounts of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are completely unacceptable, and that the summoning of our ambassador in Tehran on October 6 is baseless,” spokesman Pascal Confavro said. He added, "These shameful provocations must stop."
On Tuesday, Tehran summoned the French ambassador, Pierre Cochard, in protest against the French authorities’ treatment of the demonstrators.
Iran accused France of "violent treatment" of the demonstrators and committing "widespread and flagrant human rights violations" during the protests that began late last month and were punctuated by unrest.
Tens of thousands took to the streets across France on Tuesday to demand improved conditions in secondary schools, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to hold an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and a number of key ministers to find a solution to the crisis.
Relations between France and Iran have been tense for months, as the two countries expelled each other's diplomats in August.
Iran also witnessed widespread protests against the government in January. The authorities said that more than 3,000 people were killed in “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
Two officials said today, Wednesday (October 7, 2026), that Turkey is sending Saudi Arabia mainly defensive and technical support to help it fight the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran, after Ankara, a NATO member, and Pakistan pledged their commitment to fulfilling joint defense obligations within the framework of the Mecca Agreement that was recently concluded between the three countries.
Last August, Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which stipulates that any armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The three countries are working to define the frameworks of the new alliance, and have held political and military meetings in response to the Houthi attacks.
The three countries announced on Monday that they had agreed to move immediately to implement their commitments to joint defense and ensure the “rapid deployment” of forces and military capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO and a strong defense industry, denounced the Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, expressed its readiness to help meet Riyadh’s technical military needs, and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure safe navigation in the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump was subjected to harsh criticism after he said, while speaking about American economic sacrifices during times of war, that he was determined to “achieve a major victory (over Iran) because that would prove the validity of everything we have done.”
Trump hinted before a crowd of his supporters in Nebraska that Iran could "destroy" a large American city, such as Los Angeles or San Diego, in California.
"We pay a small price for the security of the world and the security of our country," he said. "They can destroy a city. Let them destroy Los Angeles, let them destroy San Diego. This is a very small price, and it will be over very soon."
Trump's comments sparked angry reactions from California officials. The state's governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, criticized Trump and wrote on the X platform, "After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump now says our foreign enemies can 'destroy' Los Angeles and San Diego."
Criticism from within Trump's party
Republican Jim Desmond, who is running a competitive race in a redrawn California congressional district near San Diego, wrote on the He added, "No American city can be sacrificed, and no American family should ever be considered collateral losses."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat and former member of Congress, also criticized Trump for his comments, saying in a statement, "The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His comments against our city are dangerous and could put our security at risk."
The White House rejects the media hype surrounding Trump's statement
The White House rejected criticism of Trump's comments. “The media hype around President Trump’s comments is not based on reality,” White House Communications Director Stephen Chang said in a post on social media. He clearly stated that American cities would have been threatened if Iran had not been prevented from becoming nuclear-armed.”
He added, "America has become safer thanks to the president." He now continued, "Iran has no nuclear weapons, no navy, no air force, and no money."
Iran asserts that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denies seeking to possess nuclear weapons, but Western countries question Tehran's intentions.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday (October 6, 2026) that “some threats” were behind the withdrawal of American long-range bombers from a military base in the United Kingdom, contradicting previous statements by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "There were some threats," Trump told reporters at the White House. He added: “Instead of luring the enemy, we will capture the enemy and defeat the enemy, but why should we leave them there? "So we moved them a little bit, but not too far."
When asked who was behind the threats, Trump said they were likely linked to Iran. Hours earlier, Rubio said the withdrawal was not directly related to suspected terrorist threats, and described the transfer of military assets as a routine procedure. The Pentagon later confirmed that all American bombers deployed at the Royal Air Force Base in Fairford had returned to their bases in the United States. That seemed to contradict Trump's statement that the planes were flown "not very far."
The Wall Street Journal reported that 12 B-1 bombers were stationed at the base until their recent departure.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on the “X” platform, “The emergency meeting of the Political and Defense Strategic Committee of the Mecca Defense Pact confirms the solidarity and standing of our countries as one to confront the sinful attacks that targeted the Kingdom and its sacred feelings, and to activate collective deterrence against these attacks, and against everyone who stands behind them, within the framework of Mecca Defense Alliance.
Deploying “military forces and capabilities” in Saudi Arabia
In a joint statement with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey announced today, Monday (October 5, 2026), that they will deploy “military forces and capabilities” in the Kingdom in light of the escalation between it and the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to a defense agreement signed about two months ago.
The three countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh “to discuss security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia,” during which it was decided to “immediately move to the practical implementation of joint defense obligations, and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed-upon military forces and capabilities and quickly deploy them in the Kingdom... in a way that enhances readiness, military integration, and the collective ability to confront and respond to threats.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters after the emergency meeting of the committee, “We also discussed what could be done to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue.” “Saudi Arabia adopted a very constructive approach to resolving the issue,” referring to the confrontations with the Houthis.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed to immediately move to the practical implementation of joint defense commitments and ensure the “speed of deployment” of forces and military capabilities agreed upon in Saudi Arabia.
In August, the three countries signed the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement,” which included a clause that deemed an attack on any of them an attack on all of them. The joint statement was issued today, Monday, under the name “Mecca Defense Alliance,” a name adopted for the first time since the agreement.
The agreement, which was announced at the time, did not include specific details regarding the military obligations or defense pledges incurred by each country.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue
On Monday evening, the Houthis announced, through the military spokesman for the group, Yahya Saree, in a statement published on X, “the implementation of three military operations,” which they said targeted sites in Saudi Arabia, “including King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha Airport, the Khamis Mushait base, and other sites in the south of the Kingdom.”
The spokesman indicated that the operations came “as part of the response to the Saudi aggression against Yemen,” accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 60 air strikes and missiles during the past 24 hours, targeting Sanaa and the governorates of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Hajjah, Saada, and Ma’rib.
Sarie warned "all international airlines that use Saudi airspace against continuing their flights," and said that Saudi airspace "has become a theater for our operations, with the exception of the holy airspace of Mecca and Medina."
Saudi Arabia did not confirm the occurrence of Houthi bombing, nor did it comment on the threat to airlines.
The coalition launches hundreds of raids in Yemen
For its part, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced through its spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, via the “X” platform that “the coalition’s naval forces carried out a military operation in Hodeidah Governorate that included the destruction of legitimate military targets belonging to the terrorist Houthi militia,” pointing to “the destruction of weapons stores and warehouses of booby-trapped boats and naval mines,” which he said “thwarted a plan for imminent attacks targeting the waterways south of the Red Sea.”
Earlier today, the coalition announced its participation through air strikes with "one hundred combat aircraft" in the attack with the Yemeni government against the Houthis, in the first official announcement by the coalition to participate in the current military operations in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced on Monday its participation through air strikes in the attack against the Houthis, which was launched by the Yemeni government on Sunday (October 4, 2026).
Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the military coalition to support the government, said on the “X” platform on Monday that “one hundred fighter planes participated at dawn today in Operation ‘Yemen Dawn’,” in the first official announcement of his support for the government forces’ current operation.
The spokesman added, "We provide air protection for the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and dealing with moving targets continues." "We destroyed 324 high-value targets with the launch of the operation," he said.
The forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed government announced the implementation of more than a thousand raids and the start of a “strategic attack” on Sanaa, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Government sources also said that the Yemeni forces took control of Dhubab Airport, located in the west of Taiz Governorate, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, pointing out that they "cut the road between Dhubab and Mokha and tightened fire control over it."
But a military source in the Houthi group denied this and said that this was an attempt to hide what he described as "repeated failure and defeats" of the Saudi-backed forces.
It was not possible to verify the accuracy of the statements of both parties from independent sources.
The internationally recognized government announced on Sunday its intention to restore all areas controlled by the Houthis across the country since the start of the conflict in 2014.
In September, after fierce battles, the Houthis expanded their areas of control to include the entire western coast of Yemen overlooking the Red Sea, all the way to the area of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and its surrounding islands. It is a strategic corridor for oil exports, including Saudi Arabia.
In light of the field escalation, the Houthis on Monday warned civil aviation companies that Saudi Arabia's airspace was "unsafe," saying that it "will be a scene of operations for our forces."
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi side regarding the Houthi statement.
For the first time since war broke out in the Middle East with the United States and Israel launching their attack on Iran in late February, average weekly flows of non-Iranian crude oil coming from the Gulf states and Iraq through the Strait of Hormuz rose for several consecutive days last week, exceeding the pre-war average of 18 million barrels per day.
These quantities include oil exports through the Red Sea, the route that is increasingly being used to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic corridor through which before the war, a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed.
Since the outbreak of the war, Iran says it controls the strait, while Washington, in return, imposes a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran now requires ships wishing to cross the Strait to obtain its approval, while ships that do not comply with this are at risk of attacks. However, oil tankers are crossing the Strait in increasing numbers to exit the Gulf under American protection.
Alternative routes to Hormuz
In addition to the recovery of oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz, alternative routes are operating at full capacity.
Saudi Arabia, in particular, benefits from the restart of the East-West pipeline, which connects the main oil fields in the east of the Kingdom to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea in the west of the Kingdom, the largest exporter of crude oil in the world, after it was closed on September 11 following strikes targeting it from Iraq.
The UAE also has an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, thanks to a pipeline linking to the Fujairah terminal located outside the strait.
The price of Brent North Sea oil for December delivery fell around 3:10 GMT by 0.79% to $101.44 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery fell by 1.20% to $90.02 per barrel.
