Senior leaders of the United Arab Emirates have extended condolences to Saudi Arabia following a series of deadly attacks targeting Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a message to Saudi Arabia’s Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, expressing sympathy for those killed and wishing a swift recovery to the injured. Similar messages were conveyed by other prominent UAE figures, including Vice-President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Supreme Council members and rulers of the emirates, and Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The attacks form part of an intensified campaign by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have reportedly targeted the Riyadh airport 20 times this month, according to the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition characterized these actions as terrorist operations aimed at civilians and civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and other critical sites. Coalition spokesman Turki Al Malki called for an immediate halt to such attacks.
In a separate incident, the coalition announced the interception of a cruise missile in the Madina region, which includes one of Islam’s holiest cities—an area the Houthis had previously pledged to spare from attacks.
Hostilities have also escalated around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint. At least 10 vessels have sustained damage since Sunday, marking a notable increase in maritime incidents amid ongoing tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for sinking a container ship carrying over 2,500 containers after it was struck by a naval mine south of the strait.
The U.S. Central Command reported destroying an Iranian-linked dhow in the Gulf of Oman on October 6. The vessel was identified as engaging in surveillance activities and targeting U.S. Navy ships. The crew was safely evacuated prior to the destruction, with repatriation efforts currently underway.
Amid these developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of imposing the most severe blockade Iran has experienced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In a televised speech, he stated that the U.S. aims to generate public unrest by exacerbating hardships faced by ordinary Iranians.
Meanwhile, Yemen continued to experience violence as a Houthi missile strike on the presidential palace in Aden, which serves as the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, resulted in at least four deaths and ten injuries, according to government military sources. The attack underscores ongoing instability in the region despite efforts toward peace and reconciliation.