Saudi authorities said they destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels after explosions were heard over the Saudi capital Riyadh Tuesday. They said air defenses destroyed another three Houthi ballistic missiles fired toward the country's eastern region.
Meanwhile, the Houthis accused government forces of killing two people in a strike at a gas station near the besieged city of Taiz, where fighting has been intensifying between the two sides.
For weeks, the Houthis have largely encircled Taiz — the capital of Taiz province and Yemen's third-largest city — and cut off most supply routes from government-held areas, but government forces have fought back.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.
Explosions sound over Saudi Arabian capital after attack warnings issued
At least four explosions were heard over the Saudi capital, Riyadh, according to witnesses Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether the explosions were from impacting missiles and drones or air defense systems destroying them in flight.
Saudi authorities said they had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The explosions were heard after Saudi Arabia issued attack warnings for the capital and other areas of the country including Abha City, Najran City and Khamis Mushait Governorate.
The alerts were later lifted without any immediate reports of damage.
Authorities also said air defenses had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen toward Saudi Arabia's eastern region earlier Tuesday.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday on X that a rebel ballistic missile scored a direct hit on the headquarters of the Saudi defense ministry in Riyadh.
The AP could not independently verify those claims. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
The Houthis also said on social media that they had hit the Ras Tanoura refinery in the eastern region with a ballistic missile, but the claim could not be verified and Saudi Arabia issued no immediate comment.
The Houthis say a strike on a gas station killed at least 2
The Houthi-run Health Ministry blamed the Saudi-backed government forces for a strike late Monday on a gas station in Taiz. They said that two people were killed and several wounded.
Ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi accused government forces of targeting the gas station. The Yemeni military had said in a post on X that its forces had launched airstrikes targeting Houthi positions.
Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV aired footage showing two body bags and the wounded receiving treatment at a hospital.
The TV station also reported that the government launched airstrikes on Tuesday on the Houthi-controlled port city of Mokha and the Dhubab district near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the station's claim.
An eyewitness in Mokha told the AP over the phone that she heard two explosions at around 4 a.m., one near the port and the other farther away. She spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals by the Houthis.
Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki posted on X overnight that coalition forces had intercepted four Houthi drones targeting the kingdom’s south and three ballistic missiles aimed at its eastern region.
He didn't provide further details or evidence. The AP could not verify the claim.
— By Fatma Khaled in Cairo
Iran says tanker catches fire after hitting naval mines in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's army said Tuesday an oil tanker struck naval mines and caught fire east of the Strait of Hormuz after switching off its tracking systems and attempting to pass through a restricted area.
The army said the unidentified tanker was damaged in the incident, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA. No casualties were reported.
Iran’s navy warned that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and unsafe for vessels attempting to pass without authorization, saying ships must coordinate with Iran’s armed forces to ensure safe passage.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow that U.S. military intervention in the Persian Gulf was causing energy price shocks and threatening global economic growth.
Drone shot down in Baghdad
A drone was shot down Tuesday near Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, Iraq’s Security Media Cell, affiliated with the country’s security forces, said in a statement.
No damage or casualties were reported. The Green Zone houses a number of embassies — including that of the U.S. — and government buildings.
In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran on Feb. 28, Iran-backed groups in Iraq regularly targeted U.S. military and diplomatic facilities in the country with drone attacks. The attacks have subsided in the months since the fighting died down.
Egypt's support for Saudi Arabia could lead to ‘aggression’ on Yemen, Houthis say
A Houthi official said Tuesday that the Egyptian parliament's decision to support Saudi Arabia in the conflict with the Iran-backed rebels could draw the Arab world's most populous nation into what he called an “aggression” against Yemen.
Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told the AP in a video interview that the Egyptian support would be considered as a “hostile action” since the kingdom is allegedly the aggressor in Yemen.
Egyptian lawmakers approved the measure requested by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in a closed session on Monday as concerns grow among ordinary Egyptians that their country of over 100 million people could be drawn into the conflict in Yemen.
Egypt’s highest security body had earlier pledged to provide “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia to defend its “security and stability,” protect its resources and territorial integrity, and safeguard Islamic holy sites.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
