Live: Saudi Arabia extends suspension of operations at Riyadh airport after deadly Houthi attacks
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By: FRANCE 24 Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. © Social Media via Reuters Saudi Arabia's civil aviation body extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh's international airport Monday following a series of deadly attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels over the weekend. The statement announcing the decision did not specify when operations would resume. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Iran said it was "deeply concerned" by escalating attacks between Yemen's Tehran-allied Houthis and Saudi Arabia after 14 people died in two days of strikes on Riyadh's airport.
"We are deeply concerned about the developments taking place in the Arabian Peninsula," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference, adding that Tehran was ready "to help facilitate dialogue between the parties".
The European Union on Monday formally added almost 1,600 new individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist over Russia's war on Ukraine.
"This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war. Europe is again showing a united front. More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country would retaliate if Moscow did not agree to the "energy ceasefire" that US President Donald Trump unilaterally announced on Sunday.
"If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond," Zelensky said in a video address to a security forum in Warsaw. "If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people."
Iran is still reviewing a US response to its proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will reply to Washington via intermediaries when the review is over, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Baghaei also told a press conference that Iran continues to exchange messages via the intermediaries.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation body extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh's international airport Monday following a series of deadly Houthi attacks.
"The General Authority of Civil Aviation has announced the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in order to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the facilities and their operational readiness," the authority said in a statement.
It did not specify when operations would resume.
China condemned recent attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, expressing "serious concern" about the intensifying conflict between Riyadh and the Yemeni group.
"China condemns the attacks that caused heavy casualties and expresses serious concern over the intensification of the conflict," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the events of recent weeks were serious and the kingdom's response must be "equally serious".
Yemen's Houthis have stepped up their attacks on the kingdom, killing more than 15 people in two weeks.
Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called on Gulf countries to strengthen their security cooperation, saying that targeting Saudi Arabia undermined the security of all Gulf states.
"It is necessary to revive joint action by the Gulf countries, particularly in security and defence, and to strengthen the collective security system," Gargash wrote on X.
Neglect of collective Gulf security had "emboldened others" to overreach against regional states, he added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that it reclassified an incident in the vicinity of Sohar anchorage in Oman as an attack after confirmation that the tanker was struck by a drone.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister spoke with his Iranian counterpart about the recent escalation of the regional conflict and efforts to lower tensions, the Saudi state news agency reported.
Houthi rebels claim latest attacks on Riyadh airport, following Saturday's deadly strike As it happened Middle East At least twelve killed, multiple people wounded in attack on Riyadh airport Middle East Most read
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