Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
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Jordan condemned a Houthi ballistic missile attack targeting Riyadh, which Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned what it described as Houthi attempts to target civilians and civilian facilities in Bisha, Taif, Khurs and Yanbu.
Ministry spokesperson Fuad al-Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s “absolute solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and its support for measures taken by Riyadh to protect its security and stability.
Yemen is not an “Iranian bargaining chip” or an arena for settling regional disputes, Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba said on Saturday, as government forces continue fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.
Al-Zouba described Yemen’s partnership with Saudi Arabia as “firm” and said restoring state institutions was essential to the country’s security, regional stability and the safety of maritime routes.
She said the government was pursuing an “integrated deterrence” strategy combining military measures with diplomacy, civilian protection and humanitarian assistance.
Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh early Saturday, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said.
The announcement follows the Houthis’ claim that they launched ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at “sensitive targets” in the Saudi capital.
Türkiye will assess Saudi Arabia’s military needs following recent Houthi attacks as part of its trilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
Fidan said it was “unacceptable” for Saudi Arabia to be drawn into the U.S.-Iran war, stressing that Riyadh had no desire to join the conflict.
He added that proposals aimed at ending the fighting had been conveyed to all sides, without providing further details.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is visiting Iran to discuss bilateral relations and that Tehran was unaware of him carrying any message from the United States.
The ministry’s spokesperson made the remarks to Iranian state television on Saturday.
The clarification comes as Pakistan continues mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington over efforts to end the war.
Yemen’s Houthis said they launched ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at what they described as “sensitive targets” in the Saudi capital Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attacks were carried out in two separate operations.
Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the attacks or reported casualties or damage. Earlier on Saturday, Civil Defence alerts were issued in Riyadh and Al-Kharj before authorities later said the danger had passed.
Iran called on the United States to abide by the framework agreement reached between the two countries in June and return to its provisions, Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zainvand said on Saturday.
Zainvand said diplomatic efforts were continuing to revive the Pakistani-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which provided for a halt to military operations and arrangements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“The U.S. must abide by the terms of the Islamabad agreement,” he said, adding that Tehran wanted Washington to return to the deal.
South Korea said President Lee Jae Myung’s refusal to deploy troops in a way that could involve the country in a war did not amount to rejecting a U.S. request for cooperation over the Strait of Hormuz.
A presidential official said Seoul was reviewing “practical ways to contribute” while maintaining its position that South Korean forces would not participate in combat.
The government is considering possible contributions to efforts to ensure safe navigation through the strategic waterway.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces said they thwarted an attempted Houthi infiltration in the Al-Faliha sector, south of Marib governorate, killing 12 Houthi fighters and wounding others.
In a later statement, the military said its Third Military Region used artillery and drones to target Houthi positions, gatherings and vehicles on Marib’s southern fronts.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces said they thwarted an attempted Houthi infiltration in the Al-Faliha sector, south of Marib governorate.
The military said 12 Houthi fighters were killed and others wounded in ensuing clashes, while the remaining fighters withdrew.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Iran has conveyed its conditions to mediators for resuming negotiations aimed at ending the war with the United States, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Saturday.
Rezaei said Tehran was demanding an end to the war on all fronts, the unfreezing of Iranian funds and an end to the naval blockade.
He said consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators were continuing and that Iran was awaiting a response from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia plans to deploy 27 Yemeni nationals in combat operations against Ukraine, Kyiv's Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) said in an assessment published on Saturday, Ukrainian newspaper the Kyiv Post has reported.
The agency said that it had identified the 27 individuals and said Russian military bodies were involved in the administrative processing of the recruits, according to the newspaper's reporting.
In 2024, the Financial Times revealed that hundreds of Yemeni nationals had been recruited into the Russian military through commercial entities linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen.
The head of United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon said on Saturday it was critical to ensure other UN agencies and Lebanese troops could assume the tasks carried out by the force, before it begins withdrawing at the end of this year.
The UN Security Council has ordered UN peacekeepers to begin leaving at the end of 2026, triggering concerns over whether aid deliveries can continue and how the force can transfer its positions to Lebanese troops.
“There are other United Nations entities here in the south, and so what is very important for us [is] to conduct a very smooth transition to different entities, or for the future of a new mission,” Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy said.
Smoke and flames were seen rising near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 19 September 2026, after explosions were reported and authorities issued overnight alerts warning of potential aerial attacks. The cause of the smoke and flames has not yet been ascertained.
Seven Houthi members, including a senior commander, were killed in clashes near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in southwestern Yemen, the Yemeni government said on Saturday.
In a post on X, Deputy Information Minister Abdulbasit al-Qaedi said Houthi commander Firaq Mohsen al-Assar and six of his aides were killed on the Kahboub front.
Flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen rising near Riyadh airport on Saturday, an eyewitness said.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran executed a man convicted of passing missile site intelligence to Israel during the 12-day war, according to the judiciary.
Iran's judiciary-run Mizan news agency said Hossein Pedaran was hanged after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on charges of espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel.
It said Pedaran had provided Israel's Mossad intelligence service with information on sensitive military sites in the central province of Isfahan, and had carried out the espionage for financial gain.
Yemeni government forces say they have shot down a Houthi drone in the northern governorate of al-Jawf.
A video posted on X claimed to show footage of the downed drone.
Iranian Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeynivand said international diplomatic efforts were continuing to resolve outstanding issues and restore the Islamabad agreement.
Iran demands that “the other party adhere to its commitments in this agreement”, said Zeynivand in a news briefing, reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He described the agreement as an official state decision approved by Iran's Supreme National Security Council and endorsed by the supreme leader.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reiterated Seoul's willingness to contribute “substantively” to efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Cho called on Rubio to maintain close communication on the issue, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Yonhap news agency.
The two sides also reaffirmed their “solid” commitment to the bilateral alliance and agreed to continue efforts to achieve the “denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” and promote peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy.
The EU delegation to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman condemned Houthi attacks in a post on X, calling them “unacceptable” and saying they undermine the global economy.
The delegation, based in Riyadh, said it had also been in contact with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud to discuss ending the fighting in Yemen and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The alerts come hours after the Houthis' military spokesperson said the group had foiled unspecified “criminal attempts” in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia and vowing a response.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi government's media office on the Houthis' statement.
The alerts were the first for the capital since Houthis in neighbouring Yemen intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The UN Security Council condemned attacks by Yemen's Houthi group on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure that injured civilians, among them women and children.
Council members noted that their 7 August statement condemned Houthi missile attacks on the kingdom and assaults on commercial vessels.
They reiterated their condemnation of attacks and threats against shipping in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, stressing the importance of safeguarding vessels and their crews.
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