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Fighting has intensified between the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the recent weeks. The group has ramped up strikes on Saudi infrastructure, causing fatalities, injuries and flight disruptions.
Here is all you need to know about the conflict, and the current situation in the region.
Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia
The Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports, ports and oil installations, with almost daily attacks over the last two weeks. At least 18 people have been killed in these attacks, and many more injured, with authorities also reporting property damage.
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Deadly attacks earlier this month on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 14 people and injured others. Those who died were from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan, Pakistan and Palestine.
Saudi air defences intercepted a drone attempting to target a processing facility at Aramco's Shaybah oil field last week. The attempted attack resulted in the deaths of two residents, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others, a Pakistani and an Indian, due to falling debris after the interception.
On the same day, an attack on King Fahd International Airport in the Saudi city of Dammam killed an Indian resident and a Saudi citizen. Eight people were also injured, including one Saudi national, one Nepali, and two people each from India, Yemen and Bangladesh.
Recent interceptions of ballistic missiles from the Houthis have also led to debris falling and destroyed residential buildings and vehicles in Saudi Arabia, such as an interception which damaged three residential buildings and seven vehicles, and injured two people.
On October 26, the Houthis said that they had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West crude oil pumping stations and Riyadh airport once again, although Saudi Arabia did not confirm the attacks.
Saudi Arabia temporarily shut down its 1,200-km (746-mile) East-West pipeline in September as a precaution after a drone attack that Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraq.
Saudi-led attacks against Houthis
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has also intensified its strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, since the group captured strategic areas along the Red Sea coast last month, advancing towards the Bab Al Mandab Strait, a key global shipping route for oil on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.
At that time, the Yemen government announced an operation to reclaim territories from the Houthis.
Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government against the Houthis, who captured the capital Sanaa in 2014. The current bout of fighting has broken a truce that has largely held since 2022, and follows the US-Iran war that started in February.
The Saudi coalition said on October 26 that it had carried out a military operation against Houthi targets, destroying five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four ballistic missile launchers and a missile storage facility.
The operation also targeted Houthi supply lines, fighters and military equipment along front lines inside Yemen, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said, pledging continued "deterrent operational measures" to protect civilians.
Flight disruptions in Saudi Arabia
Since the attack on Riyadh and Dammam's airports, fights have been cancelled or delayed, with some airlines such as Riyadh Air moving some of their operations to alternative airports.
UAE airlines Etihad Airways and Flydubai have extended flight cancelations on some Saudi routes. Other airlines affected include Emirates, flynas and Saudia, with cancellations involving flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dammam.
On October 25, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport designated Terminal 2 for international flights, and Terminal 1 for domestic flights, according to a statement.
US diplomats ordered to leave Saudi Arabia
Last week, the US State Department ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that the department ordered the departure of "non-emergency US government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only" amid the Houthi attacks.
US government employees in Saudi Arabia were told that they had to seek permission to use Saudi airports. American citizens have been advised to use alternative modes of transport due to the risk in flight travel.
Talks announced in Tehran among Mecca pact members
Top officials from the Mecca pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are to meet Iran's leaders in Tehran on October 25, in their first high-level contact since the Saudi-Houthi conflict flared up again.
Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Turkey by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Saudi and Iranian officials said.
Under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed in August, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The countries have declared a "shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond". According to the official website, the pact brings together the three countries to provide a "security guarantee."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday discussions on regional security would include "Israel’s expansionist policies, developments in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, and the repercussions of US and Israeli military action against Iran."
Will US, Iran return to war?
US officials have told CNN that forces in the Middle East are ready to launch new military operations against Iran, "within 96 hours" of receiving an order from President Donald Trump.
Trump said on October 25 that while there is a possibility of returning to war with Iran, there is also a possibility of a deal being made to end the conflict. Trump has said in the past that there would be no strikes from US until the midterm elections on November 3 are completed. A return to war, if on the cards, may occur after the midterms.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran's position on rejecting foreign interference, saying that the only path to peace was cooperation with regional countries.
[Inputs from AFP, Reuters]