The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced on Friday (October 9, 2026) that it attacked a gas tanker as it attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an “illegal route.” The Guard explained in a statement reported by Iranian official media that its naval forces were fulfilling “the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the desire of the Iranian people to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,” and in this context, “hours ago, they struck the giant gas tanker NV Sunshine (...) while it was trying to pass through the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz.”
In another context, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that the success of the talks aimed at ending the war with the United States remains dependent on the absence of “pressure and threats.” In his speech during the CIS summit in Turkmenistan, Pezeshkyan said, "Dialogue does not gain meaning and have no chances of success unless it is based on mutual respect and mutual commitments, and if it is free of pressures and threats."
On Thursday, Pezeshkyan met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after they arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, an organization that includes former Soviet republics. The summit began on Friday at the Avaza resort overlooking the Caspian Sea. Iran and Russia are among the countries most subject to sanctions in the world.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia announced today, Friday, that three Saudi citizens were killed and a number of citizens and residents were injured in two attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudi Airlines plane yesterday, Thursday. The authority said in a statement, “The first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second attack targeted a Saudi Airlines plane.”
She added that the injuries ranged from “minor to severe,” and that the two attacks resulted in material damage, noting that operational operations at the airport have resumed and air traffic has returned to normal.
The Authority did not specify the party responsible for the two attacks, while the Houthis, allied with Iran, claimed responsibility for targeting the airport, and said they attacked it with two cruise missiles. The group also announced that it had targeted an airport in the city of Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia, which was not confirmed by the Saudi authorities, and an air base in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles.
The attack comes in light of the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, as the Houthis say that their targeting of the Kingdom comes because of its support for government forces in the renewed civil war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia says it supports the attack launched by the internationally recognized Yemeni government to reclaim territory from the Houthis.
On Wednesday, the Saudi authorities announced the killing of three people in previous strikes this week that targeted Riyadh and Abha airports in the southwest of the Kingdom. King Khalid International Airport was also subjected to multiple attacks that resulted in the death of a Sudanese citizen earlier in the week.
The latest attack, according to the Associated Press, is the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and its allied forces in Yemen launched a large-scale military attack last weekend against the Iran-backed Houthis.
The escalation comes in the context of the war between the United States and Iran spilling over into conflict, which has fueled unrest in a region already suffering from instability due to the broader war, and threatens to drag other countries into the escalating fighting.
The German airline Lufthansa Group announced the suspension of its flights to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with renewed attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group on the city's airport. The German aviation group said in response to a question, “All flights to Riyadh have been canceled until October 16, due to recent developments in the Middle East.”
The Houthi group once again claimed responsibility for the attack on King Khalid International Airport on Thursday. Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni group, said that the group fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi airport.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said that several missiles were intercepted, while eyewitnesses said that they heard 4 successive explosions in Riyadh.
Sources at the Saudi airport said that fragments of the missile interceptors fell on one of the passenger buildings.
The Houthis also warned that all oil installations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may become targets of their attacks and renewed their call to all airline companies to suspend their flights to Saudi Arabia.
It is noteworthy that the Lufthansa Group includes several airlines, including Lufthansa itself, Swissair, Asturian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.
US President Donald Trump said today, Thursday (October 8, 2026), that his statements about the possibility of Iran “destroying” cities in California were misunderstood, and that he was actually referring to the need for people to bear the rise in gasoline prices. Trump made these statements during a political rally in Nebraska on Monday while talking about the economic sacrifices that Americans make in times of war.
He said at the time, "Once again, remember that it (the cost) is only artificial in light of the war. It is a little high. It is a small price to pay. We are paying a small price in order to maintain the security of the world and the security of our country. 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."
California Democratic Party leaders and Republican Party leaders quickly criticized these statements. Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform today, “What I was talking about is that a temporary rise in gasoline prices is a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon.”
He continued, "If you want to see a high price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego or Los Angeles or both?", adding that he loves both cities. Trump previously ignored concerns about the cost of living resulting from the war with Iran.
Oil tankers face increased risks of attacks and intimidation as they attempt to transport vital cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, sources said, after Iran issued new warnings that it would close routes it had not authorized to pass.
Last week already saw the largest number of attacks on oil tankers in the vital waterway since the start of the war on Iran, bringing the number of ships attempting to cross to its lowest level in more than two months.
A senior regional official said that any attempt to open new oil export routes would be considered a hostile act. Arb from Tehran told Reuters that Iran has now warned the countries of the region. The official added that this is part of a plan agreed upon by both political leaders and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Wirtschaftswohe magazine reported on Thursday (October 8, 2026), citing several Western officials in intelligence services without publishing their names, that Israel warned its partners in the United States and Germany three weeks ago of a potential threat.
Concerns focused on the bases that support American military operations and logistics services related to the Iran war, such as the Ramstein and Spangdahlem bases.
It has not yet been possible to obtain a comment from the German Ministry of Defense or the American forces in Germany.
The US Air Force has been present in Spangdahlem since the mid-1950s. Spangdahlem Air Base, along with Ramstein Base near Kaiserslautern in Rhineland-Palatinate, is one of the most important air bases and airports for the US Army.
Several years ago, there were plans to withdraw forces, during the first term of US President Donald Trump, but the US government did not implement those plans and froze them in 2021.
In response to reports that Damascus was considering military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its escalating war against the Houthi group in Yemen, the Syrian Ministry of Information stated on Wednesday evening (October 8, 2026) that “Syria’s priority at the current stage is to rebuild the country, strengthen its institutions, and work with partners on reconstruction and improving the lives of Syrians.”
The Syrian Response account, affiliated with the Foreign Media Department of the Syrian Ministry of Information, said that Damascus’ position is “clear,” and that “any military cooperation with partner countries will only be through official channels and existing bilateral frameworks.”
On Wednesday evening, Axios reported from three American officials that Saudi Arabia and Syria were holding talks about sending between 10,000 and 20,000 Syrian soldiers to Yemen to join the counterattack against the Houthis.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa made a public visit to Riyadh yesterday, Tuesday, and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The American official said that the possibility of providing Syrian military assistance to the Kingdom was among the matters discussed during the visit.
Footage broadcast by Syrian government media showed Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman, brother of the Crown Prince and responsible for the Yemeni file, accompanying him to his plane on the way back.
Damascus' intervention in Yemen carries risks
The factions that once made up the armed opposition are now under the authority of the emerging Syrian state, which has adopted a policy of avoiding involvement in conflicts, including the Iran war, to focus on recovering from the 14-year civil war.
The state is still working to form its army from various factions affiliated with the previous opposition coalition that overthrew Assad, which included many hardline Sunni Islamist fighters and foreign fighters, and is trying to contain tensions with minorities, including Alawites, not the branch of Shiites to which Assad belongs.
The American official said that any conflict between this army and the Houthis, who also follow one of the Shiite sects, may carry divisive religious connotations, which is what the Syrian leadership and its Western partners want to avoid. For this reason, Syria previously rejected an American request for assistance in fighting the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
Engaging in a battle against the Houthis who are allied with Iran may also be viewed as a hostile act by Iran and its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and the armed factions in Iraq, which are parties engaged in a historical conflict with the armed Syrian opponents who have become rulers in Syria.
He was keen to show support
At the same time, Al-Sharaa is keen to show Syria's support for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who played a crucial role in helping him gain international legitimacy, including by mediating a meeting in May 2025 between him and US President Donald Trump.
The American official said that Saudi Arabia provided financial aid to Syria, and expressing Syrian support may lead to an increase in that aid.
H. A. Hellyer, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said: “The new Syria sending personnel on defensive missions in very small numbers to the holiest sites in the Islamic world, along with providing technical support to neutralize incoming drones, will carry enormous and positive symbolic connotations.” He added, "But anything beyond that, especially with regard to the presence of Syrian forces on the ground, I think would be a completely different proposal, and I think Damascus would avoid it, given the priorities it has to focus on in Syria."
