Saudi Arabia said three people were injured in the latest attacks on its airports since fighting with Yemen’s Houthi rebels reignited. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials said Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City killed two people and condemned the latest home demolitions in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Nearly three years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, conflict in the Middle East has persisted almost without interruption, spreading across the region, including to Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is available here.
Saudis say 2 airports were hit as fighting grinds on with Houthis
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday acknowledged that two of its airports were attacked, leaving three lightly injured, hours after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they fired missiles and drones at the kingdom.
The attacks were the latest in the conflict between the two sides.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement that airports in the cities of Najran and Jizan were hit on Monday, damaging both facilities. The statement did not say who was responsible but followed a Houthi announcement of attacks on Saudi oil facilities, airports and military bases on Monday.
Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement on Tuesday the rebels had fired toward a third airport on Tuesday as part of their strategy to deter air traffic to Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press could not confirm whether the Houthis had hit Abha International Airport in the kingdom's southwest. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the claimed strike.
Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen’s internationally recognized government have launched a military campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territory near the southern tip of the Red Sea to prevent disruptions to oil being exported out of the region.
2 killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
Two Israeli airstrikes killed two people and severely injured at least one in Gaza City, health officials at the city’s Shifa Hospital said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants in both strikes, including one near the municipal park, a densely populated part of the city.
It was the latest deadly attack since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago. More than 1,460 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose figures are generally considered reliable by the United Nations and independent experts.
Israelis mark 3 years since deadliest day in country's history
Israel was shrouded in mourning this week as the country marks three years since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The country began commemorations Monday — the anniversary of the attack in the Jewish calendar — and is scheduled to hold more on the international calendar anniversary on Wednesday.
During the attack, militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostage, sparking a war that later spread across the region.
The attack left lasting trauma in Israel, including in communities near the Gaza border. Israelis there are still grappling with a lost sense of security. Some struggle to see Palestinians as anything other than a threat, even after nearly three years of fighting that has destroyed most of Gaza and killed 74,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the territory.
Israel demolishes Palestinian apartments in east Jerusalem
Israeli authorities tore down a five-story building in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, the latest in a string of home demolitions to hit predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods in the city.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attended the demolition and said that Israeli authorities had demolished more than 10,000 structures built without permits over the past year and a half.
Palestinians say the process of procuring construction permits is nearly impossible for them in east Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Today it is home to almost 400,000 Palestinians.
Fayez Saeed Khalafawi, an apartment owner in the demolished building, said his family received notice of the demolition on Monday. He had requested a postponement for an appeal. He said he had applied for four permits and that dozens of residents could be displaced as a result.
“This has become political ... a displacement process. They demolish our house so we put up a tent. Where are we supposed to go?” he said.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
