Saudi forces have responded to a drone and cruise missile attack, state-run media reported Monday. Meanwhile, airstrikes on two districts in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa killed one person and wounded 12 others, according to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday: Saudi forces respond to attacks following strikes on Yemeni capital Saudi state-run media said forces responded to attacks, but didn’t give further details. The reports Monday came after airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa killed one person and wounded 12 others, according to the country’s Houthi-run Health Ministry. Ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said a strike on a salt factory in Sanaa’s Hamadan district killed a man and wounded eight people. A separate strike on a house wounded a woman and three children, he said. The rebels’ media center blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes, which came as the Houthis continued to fire missiles and drones toward the kingdom’s airports. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. Closure of Saudi capital’s airport extended Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation didn’t say Monday when King Khalid Airport in the capital of Riyadh will resume operations. Houthi rebels have attacked the airport multiple times in recent days, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 320 others. Saudi Arabia launches probe into air defense failure Saudi authorities opened an investigation into an air defense failure to respond to Houthi missiles that hit the King Khalid Airport, one of the most secure areas in the kingdom. Two regional officials said on Monday an initial probe showed that the Houthis first fired multiple drones to pave the way for a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles to reach the airport. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media. Some of the missiles can maneuver and escape the interceptors fired by the Patriot battery, they said. One of the officials said the probe also seeks to answer why there wasn’t early warning of the attack since the Houthi missiles and drones traveled over 1,000 kilometers to reach Riyadh. By Samy Magdy in Cairo Iran says ready to mediate end of war between Houthis and Saudi Arabia Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday repeated the country’s readiness to help settle the conflict between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia through diplomatic means. Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran was deeply concerned about the situation in the Arabian Peninsula and has announced its readiness to mediate talks between the two sides “many times.” Baghaei said the war only serves Israeli interests and that Iran doesn’t accept the continuation of conflict between two Islamic nations. He said Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Saudi counterpart discussed developments on a phone call Sunday. Businesses in Saudi capital tell employees to work from home Businesses in Riyadh’s financial hub have told employees to work remotely after the Houthis increased attacks on the kingdom. That’s according to multiple employees whose firms have offices at the King Abdullah Financial District. They spoke Monday on condition of anonymity for their safety. Authorities in Riyadh have also asked schools to switch to online classes this week following the deadly strikes on King Khalid International Airport over the weekend. By Samy Magdy in Cairo 2 Indian sailors missing after drone hits tanker India’s Foreign Ministry said Monday two Indian seafarers are missing after a drone struck the MT Petro Dolphin in the Strait of Hormuz area. The commercial tanker had 11 Indian sailors on board when it was hit Sunday, the ministry said. A second vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera, was struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire on board, but all 11 Indian sailors on the tanker were safe, the ministry said. Gaza holds funerals for 5 people killed in Israeli strikes Mourners cried and held funerals on Monday for five people in two separate Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. The first attack on Sunday evening killed three people, according to Nasser Hospital officials, at a spot where people gather to charge phones and other batteries in the Musawi area of Khan Younis. A second attack early Monday in Rafah killed two others near the territory’s biggest bream fisheries. The Israeli military said it targeted several Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in the first strike and several Hamas militants in the second. These are the latest deadly attacks since a ceasefire took effect more than a year ago. Nearly 1,500 people have died since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Iran hangs man it says was part of a militant group Iran on Monday hanged a man convicted on charges of belonging to the Jaish al-Adl militant group and helping support attacks on security forces, official Mizan news agency reported. Mizan, affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, identified the man as Omar Dorostaran, saying he provided logistical support to armed teams, including arranging safe houses, moving members and supplying weapons and ammunition. The judiciary accused Dorostaran of supporting attacks on police and Revolutionary Guard facilities in Rask, as well as attacks on military sites in the southeastern port city of Chabahar in April 2024. In one attack on a police station in Rask, 11 police officers and soldiers were killed. Jaish al-Adl, or the Army of Justice, is a Sunni militant group that emerged in 2012 and has repeatedly targeted Iranian security forces in southeastern Iran. Former U.S. top diplomat says ‘Iranian regime’ must be ‘crushed’ Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday Iran-backed Houthi rebels’ deadly strikes on Saudi Arabia were a troubling development that underscored the U.S. has not yet achieved its objectives in the war against Iran. Speaking at a conference in Abu Dhabi focused on the Middle East’s postwar future, Pompeo said, “we collectively have not yet achieved deterrence.” Pompeo, who served as secretary of State and CIA director during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, said: “You have to crush the Iranian regime, period, full stop. There’s no solution short of that.”
