Airstrikes struck two areas of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, around midnight, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels blaming Saudi Arabia for the attacks on Monday. Riyadh had not immediately responded to the allegations.
Meanwhile, India’s Foreign Ministry said two Indian sailors were missing after a drone hit a commercial tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, while another vessel carrying Indian crew members was struck by an unidentified projectile.
Here are the latest developments from the Middle East on Monday.
Airstrikes kill one, injure 12 in Sanaa
Airstrikes on Yemen’s capital killed one person and wounded 12 others, according to Anees al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry.
Al-Asbahi said a strike on a salt factory in the Hamadan district killed a man and injured eight people. Another strike hit a house, wounding a woman and three children.
The Houthi media centre accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attacks as the rebels continued launching missiles and drones toward airports in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia had issued no immediate response.
Saudi capital’s airport closure extended
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation did not announce when King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh would reopen.
The Houthi rebels have reportedly attacked the airport several times in recent days, killing at least 14 people and injuring at least 320 others.
Iran offers to mediate between Houthis and Saudi Arabia
Iran reiterated its willingness on Monday to facilitate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was deeply concerned about the situation in the Arabian Peninsula and had repeatedly offered to mediate between the two sides.
He argued that the conflict served Israel’s interests and said Iran opposed continued hostilities between two Muslim nations.
Baghaei also said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had discussed the latest developments with his Saudi counterpart in a phone call on Sunday.
Riyadh businesses shift to remote work
Several businesses in Riyadh’s financial district have instructed employees to work from home following an escalation in Houthi attacks, according to employees familiar with the decisions.
The employees, who spoke anonymously on Monday citing safety concerns, said their companies had offices in the King Abdullah Financial District.
The area houses major financial institutions, including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, an Aramco office, the stock exchange and international firms such as Goldman Sachs.
Authorities in Riyadh have also asked schools to move classes online this week following deadly attacks on King Khalid International Airport over the weekend.
Two Indian sailors missing after drone strikes tanker
India’s Foreign Ministry said two Indian crew members were missing after a drone struck the commercial tanker MT Petro Dolphin near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The vessel was carrying 11 Indian sailors at the time.
A second tanker, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera, was hit by an unidentified projectile, triggering a fire on board. All 11 Indian sailors aboard that vessel were reported safe, the ministry said.
The ministry described the repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the region as deeply concerning, warning that they could further worsen an already volatile situation.
UAE official urges Gulf unity against attacks
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, called on Monday for coordinated action among Gulf states to defend against attacks by Iran and its allied groups.
Gargash said Iran and its allies had mistakenly viewed Gulf Arab nations as the weakest link in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
In a social media post, he stressed that the security of Gulf countries was interconnected and warned that attacks on Saudi Arabia also threatened the UAE and other Gulf states.
Iran and its allies have repeatedly targeted Arab countries across the Persian Gulf.
Iran executes man accused of supporting militant group
Iran executed a man on Monday who was convicted of belonging to the Jaish al-Adl militant group and supporting attacks against security forces, the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency reported.
The agency identified the man as Omar Dorostaran and said he provided logistical assistance to armed operatives by arranging safe houses, transporting members and supplying weapons and ammunition.
Iran’s judiciary accused him of supporting attacks on police and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in Rask, as well as military installations in the southeastern port city of Chabahar in April 2024.
An attack on a police station in Rask killed 11 police officers and soldiers.
Jaish al-Adl, also known as the Army of Justice, is a Sunni militant group established in 2012 that has repeatedly targeted Iranian security forces in the country’s southeastern region.
Former US secretary of state calls for Iran’s regime to be crushed
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that deadly Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia highlighted the failure to achieve the intended level of deterrence in the war against Iran.
Speaking at a conference in Abu Dhabi on the future of the Middle East after the war, Pompeo said the United States and its partners had yet to establish effective deterrence.
Pompeo, who also served as CIA director during US President Donald Trump’s first administration, called for the removal of Iran’s ruling regime, arguing that no other solution would be sufficient.