Friday 9 October 2026 07:30 UTC
Houthi airport attacks kill three in Saudi Arabia
Houthi attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha killed three people and injured 36 on Tuesday and Wednesday, Saudi aviation authorities said. The Houthis claimed both attacks and warned international airlines away from most Saudi airspace. Several carriers cancelled Riyadh flights, some until October 16. Saudi forces said they destroyed the launcher used in the Riyadh attack and intercepted two further ballistic missiles. Turkey is considering providing air-defence support but ruled out joining offensive operations.
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A Russian bomb struck minibuses or a public-transport stop in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, killing at least 30 people; another account put the toll at 33. Eighteen people were injured, and some victims remained unidentified. The confirmed toll from the earlier apartment strike in Pryluky also rose to 22 dead, including five children, and 54 injured. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Omsk refinery and reportedly set the Ukhta refinery ablaze more than 1,700 kilometres inside Russian airspace. A second attack hit the Redkino plant, which produces aerospace materials and high-energy fuel.
Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, after the Pentagon prepared possible strike options. Iran’s foreign minister said indirect negotiations were continuing through mediators and Tehran expected to answer US proposals within days. Maritime authorities recorded five confirmed attacks and one suspicious incident in the Strait of Hormuz over four days. The US Treasury also sanctioned 17 more tankers linked to Iran’s oil network, saying the action had neutralised most of the remaining shadow fleet.