Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels intensified on Monday, as escalating hostilities choked oil supplies and threatened to erupt into a broader conflict.
The coalition in Yemen said it destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in the capital Sanaa, including one used to fire a missile towards Riyadh that it said had been intercepted. The Houthis later claimed they had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West crude oil pumping stations and Riyadh airport, but there was no immediate confirmation from the kingdom.
Sanaa has been under Houthi control since 2014, when the militant group seized the Yemeni capital and triggered a Saudi-led military intervention in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports, ports and oil installations, turning the kingdom into a pressure point in the wider regional war.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport resumed operations at two terminals on Sunday after attacks claimed by the Houthis this month killed 17 people. A strike on the airport on October 10 killed 13, making it the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
The kingdom also temporarily shut down its 1,200km East-West pipeline in September as a precaution after a drone attack that Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraq. The pipeline has served as a key route for Middle East oil exports while the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed by the war.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the Makkah pact countries, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, are to meet Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss regional co-ordination.
Saudi Arabia is represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The Turkish head of intelligence Ibrahim Kalin will also join the talks.
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rayed Krimly, said on X the visit was aimed at de-escalation and finding diplomatic solutions to the crises in the region.
The planned discussions will be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia came under escalating attacks from the Houthis.
يرأس صاحب السمو الملكي الأمير خالد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود، وزير الدفاع، وفد المملكة للاجتماعات التي تستضيفها العاصمة الإيرانية طهران اليوم بين دول اتفاقية مكة للدفاع المشترك مع المسؤولين من الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية.
— AMB Dr. Rayed Krimly (@Rayedkrimly) October 26, 2026
وذلك بمشاركة المشير/ عاصم منير، رئيس أركان الجيش…
Qatari media reported that a delegation from the country was in Tehran on Sunday.
Greek PM visits Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Greece have pledged to strengthen security and defence co-operation and expressed concern over attacks on energy infrastructure, according to a joint statement issued after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Riyadh.
Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Mr Mitsotakis at the Royal Court in Al Yamamah Palace, where they held talks.
The two sides highlighted the importance of their strategic partnership and the implementation of joint initiatives. Bilateral trade reached about $1.7 billion in 2025, up from 2021 levels, said the statement, which was carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
Riyadh and Athens pledged to accelerate co-operation on a planned electricity interconnection project linking Saudi Arabia to Europe through Greece, as well as explore clean hydrogen exports from the kingdom to European markets, the statement added.
The leaders stressed the need to protect international maritime routes and ensure uninterrupted energy supplies, expressing concern over attacks on energy infrastructure. The countries also committed to strengthening co-operation in defence, cyber security, counter-terrorism and the sharing of intelligence, as well as in artificial intelligence, transport, tourism, education and health.