Saudi Crown Prince meets Iraq's Prime Minister in Riyadh

Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman met with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi in Riyadh on Wednesday, marking the first visit by a foreign leader to the Saudi capital since a Houthi attack on the airport. The Saudi Press Agency released footage and images of their meeting. The Iraqi Prime Minister's office stated that they discussed "the latest regional developments and coordination of efforts to enhance the security and stability of the region."

Saudi Arabia has experienced an increase in Houthi strikes over the past week, including the deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, which left 13 people dead. The airport has been closed since then until October 17, causing airlines to cancel flights to Saudi Arabia. The extent of Prime Minister Al Zaidi's travel to the country remains unknown.

Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen's civil war began in 2015, with the aim of countering Iranian influence and preventing chaos on its borders, after the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa. A UN-brokered truce in Yemen in 2022 brought a fragile peace, but it was disrupted this year. In response to the Houthis' recent gains along the Red Sea coast, including the critical Bab Al Mandeb strait, Saudi Arabia resumed its military campaign in Yemen in support of the internationally recognized government in late August.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen has worsened, with the Red Cross reporting that hospitals are overwhelmed by the surge in war casualties as fighting escalates along multiple fronts.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that essential assistance to the government-held city of Taiz has been cut off, leaving over 600,000 people there without aid, including more than 200,000 women and children.