Yemen's Houthis say they struck Riyadh airport, other Saudi sites

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility on October 6 for attacking Riyadh's international airport, an oil refinery, and other Saudi Arabian sites. In response, the Saudi-led coalition announced they had destroyed Houthi targets along the Red Sea coast. Pakistan and Türkiye pledged to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact following weeks of Houthi attacks.

The Saudi military began an ambitious push to retake all territory held by the group, with the fighting in Yemen becoming the most active front in the Middle East war in recent weeks. The UN reported over 184,000 people displaced by the conflict, and the broader region continues to be engulfed by the war. Houthi forces have been attacking neighboring Saudi Arabia since Yemen's civil war reignited, declaring a maritime blockade on its ships.

The Yemeni military reported over 1,000 strikes and launched an offensive against Sanaa, while the Saudi-led coalition stated 100 warplanes conducted sorties at dawn. Turki Al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, confirmed naval forces hit Houthi military targets in Hodeida, destroying weapons depots and naval mines. The Houthis also reportedly expelled the group from several areas in Taiz, where fighting has intensified recently.

Saudi Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser warned global oil stockpiles were "scarily thin" due to the war, as crude prices had already surged.