War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The Saudi civil aviation authority said Dammam airport in the kingdom’s Eastern Province has been attacked, in a statement released shortly after the Houthis said they had targeted the airport, Reuters reports.

Two men have been killed in south Lebanon, one by Israeli fire and the other by an explosive remnant of war, as they took part in the annual olive harvest, AFP reports citing state media and local officials.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said one of the men was killed in Yater, in Bint Jbeil district, when Israeli “shelling targeted the outskirts of the town while he was inspecting his land and olive harvest”.

The Lebanese army blamed Israeli tank fire and called the ongoing attacks “a flagrant breach of existing agreements”.

In the village of Froun, in the same district, the NNA reported that “a foreign object” left over from previous Israeli operations exploded and killed an engineer as he and others tended their trees.

The engineer had come down from Beirut, where he lives, for the harvest, Froun mayor Hassan Bazzi told AFP.

The spokesman and deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, says Iran will secure its national interests through both diplomacy and resistance, and is ready for confrontation if negotiations fail, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.

Speaking to reporters, Kamalvandi said Tehran would continue to defend its rights and interest. He added that diplomatic engagement and resistance were complementary rather than contradictory approaches.

“If our interests can be secured through diplomacy, so much the better. Otherwise, we will secure them with strength and determination on the battlefield,” he was quoted as saying.

The Regional Four (R4) Group consisting of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye has condemned “in the strongest terms” the ongoing Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including those targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, in a joint statement.

The statement, posted on social media by the Foreign Office (FO), said that the attacks constitute a “blatant violation of international law” and a violation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while posing a threat to its security, stability and civilian safety.

It added that the “dangerous” escalation “cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext”.

The group reaffirmed its solidarity and support for the Kingdom and all legitimate measures it takes to counter the attacks and prevent their recurrence, while emphasising that it holds the Houthis “fully accountable” for the results of the attacks and any repercussions threatening regional security. It demanded the immediate and unconditional halt of the attacks.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree says the group has “carried out four qualitative operations in the past 24 hours using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones”, AFP reports.

Saree said they targeted the Riyadh airport multiple times, as well as the Dammam airport and two facilities belonging to the Saudi state oil company Aramco.

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died after being wounded in the attack on the Riyadh airport a day earlier, AFP reports.

“It is learnt that one Indian national injured in the Riyadh attack has unfortunately lost his life today. We convey our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased,” the embassy wrote in a statement posted on X.

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility in a televised speech for Saturday’s attack on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300 others, according to Reuters.

Two new blasts have been heard in Riyadh, AFP journalists report, more than an hour after the Saudi-led coalition reported a fresh attack on the city’s airport.

AFP journalists heard two explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei says that the US has responded to Iran’s seven conditions to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but the response is “insufficient”, Fars reports.

“Americans have now responded to us; they have accepted some of our conditions while others remain unresolved.

“We are no longer in the process of responding to the Americans; they must clarify the issues that remain ambiguous for us,” Fars quotes Rezaei as saying.

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says Iran is currently considering the establishment of an “Economic War Council”, according to Fars news agency.

“Such a council will likely be formed, and we will show Trump and his administration what economic war truly means and where they stand in this battle,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he is “deeply saddened” over the injury of six Pakistani nationals as a result of the attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, praying for their speedy recovery.

“Our Embassy in Riyadh is in close contact with the Saudi authorities and is extending all possible assistance to the affected families,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on X.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned in the “strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh”.

“On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered and our wishes for a full recovery to the injured,” he said in a statement released by his office.

“Terrorism targets innocent people and seeks to spread fear and instability. It must be confronted with resolve.”

He added: “Israel looks forward to a strong Middle East — one that stands united against threats, protects its people, and builds a future of security, cooperation, and prosperity for all the peoples of our region.”

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said an “unidentified projectile” targeted terminal 4 at Riyadh’s international airport, Reuters reports.

It did not provide further details, but the statement came a day after an attack on the airport killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300 others.

The International Energy Agency’s Executive Director Fatih Birol suggested that all members assess whether additional diesel releases are necessary and to set out their scale, timing and supplemental nature as governments seek to tackle record fuel prices and supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, Reuters reports.

The agency, which coordinates emergency oil stockpiles among industrialised countries, also suggested that member countries that have not yet fully delivered pledged volumes accelerate their remaining releases prioritising diesel, ahead of a meeting of the IEA’s governing board on October 15.

Two blasts were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh, AFP journalists and three residents said, a day after an attack on the city’s airport killed 12 people and wounding hundreds.

AFP journalists heard a powerful explosion in central Riyadh, while three residents in the city’s north later reported hearing another blast.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

“The birds went into a frenzy after the sound. The whole house shook,” a resident in Al-Aarid neighbourhood in northern Riyadh told AFP.

Turkiye condemned an attack on Riyadh’s international airport that killed 12 people, slamming the “deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians”, AFP reports.

The attack was “a flagrant violation of international law”, Turkiye’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It called for “actions threatening regional security and stability” to stop immediately.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern at what he called the Houthi attack on the Riyadh airport.

“We pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured, including the six Pakistani nationals,” he said.

“Attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are totally unacceptable, violate international law and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security. Such acts must cease immediately,” he said.

“We are in touch with the Saudi Authorities and are closely following the situation. I have directed our embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with the concerned authorities to provide all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani nationals,” he said.

“We stand in solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s leadership and brotherly people. Pakistan remains firmly committed to the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security in accordance with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” he said.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has commended Oman for its efforts to promote regional peace and emphasised continued regional consultations in a phone call with the Sultan of Oman, state-owned IRNA reports.

According to the agency, Pezeshkian commended the Sultan and the Omani government for their efforts to promote regional peace and stability.

“He stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic consultations, expanding constructive interactions, and utilising the shared potential of regional nations to foster mutual understanding and cooperation,” IRNA added.

France has condemned the “heinous attack” by Yemen’s Houthis a day earlier on Riyadh’s international airport and stressed “total solidarity” with Saudi Arabia, AFP reports.

France, which is already lending troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, “will continue to remain by its side in its defence of its territory and its infrastructure”, a foreign ministry statement said, calling on the Houthis to cease their attacks.

The Saudi embassy in Kuwait has said it was organising buses to transport its citizens back to the kingdom after their flights were cancelled following attacks on Riyadh airport, AFP reports.

“The embassy said it would provide buses to transport Saudi citizens wishing to return to Riyadh whose flights had been cancelled, provided they have proof of a cancelled flight booking,” read a statement posted online by the embassy.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has “unequivocally denounced” the Houthi attack on Riyadh’s main airport.

“There can be no justification for attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said on X.

The United Arab Emirates has said it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the deadly attack on Riyadh’s airport, and expressed support for “all measures” to safeguard the kingdom’s security, AFP reports.

The UAE foreign ministry in a statement denounced the “flagrant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty. It “reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the kingdom’s security and stability”.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an interview with Press TV, has said the country would pursue legal cases in domestic and foreign courts over the US-Israeli aggression against Minab’s elementary school.