Live updates: Houthis launch new attack on Saudi capital as Trump mulls US role in new front of Middle East war
7:14 a.m.
Iran says cargo ship sinks after hitting naval mine in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that a cargo ship sank after hitting a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. This is the first time Iran has reported a ship sinking after hitting a mine during the war.
There were few details, particularly on the fate of the crew. Iranian state television cited an IRGC statement saying the ship was taking what Iran considers an illegal and dangerous route – likely the shipping lanes the United States has urged ships to use, near the coast of Oman – when it struck the mine Wednesday morning.
The ship was carrying 2,500 containers when it first caught fire. Iran has repeatedly warned ships against attempting to transit the strait without its approval.
In late August, President Trump declared the strait free of sea mines, saying that U.S. forces had “totally cleared the strait… Any boat that passes with a mine, we remove it.”
There was no immediate verification of the sinking and no report from the UK Maritime Commercial Operations Observer.
CBS/AP.
06:57
Houthis warn of attacks on Saudi airports, oil infrastructure will continue
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Wednesday they would continue targeting Saudi Arabia’s international airport and oil infrastructure in the coming days.
In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig.-Gen. Gen. Yahya Saree said the attacks were “a response to the treacherous Saudi aggression against the capital Sanaa and the free governorates” and were part of the group’s “deterrence operations against the Saudi aggressor.”
Saree also warned international shipping companies, civilians and employees working at targeted airports and businesses to “stay away from them and evacuate them immediately” as they would be considered legitimate targets.
6:29 a.m.
Saudis say another Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh intercepted
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition forces said Wednesday they had intercepted an attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X that a ballistic missile “launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed.”
Earlier, residents of the Saudi capital reported hearing explosions.
6:29 a.m.
Residents of Saudi capital say they heard more explosions in Riyadh
Residents of the Saudi capital say they have heard new explosions in Riyadh.
The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. One of them lives in northern Riyadh, where King Khalid International Airport is located.
The source of the explosions was not immediately clear. Saudi civil defense reported air raid alerts in Riyadh and Kharj province, southeast of the capital. Kharj is home to the state-owned Military Industries Corporation and the Prince Sultan Air Base.
Riyadh airport was the target of deadly attacks on several occasions last week. Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility.
6:29 a.m.
Missiles intercepted over Riyadh injure at least four people, officials say
Saudi Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas of Riyadh on Tuesday, injuring four people and damaging 15 houses.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the injured included two women, a man and a child. Images released by Saudi Arabia’s civil defense show broken windows caused by what they say is shrapnel from falling shells.
CBS/AP
6:29 a.m.
Building fire reported at Aramco complex targeted by Houthis, Saudi officials say
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said Tuesday that a limited fire broke out at an administrative building at Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil facilities, targeted in the country’s eastern province. The ministry said no injuries were reported.
The attack comes as the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged attacks on Tuesday evening. It marks a new escalation in the growing Middle East crisis and comes shortly after the Saudi coalition reported a series of alerts about the arrival of missiles heading towards the country’s Eastern Province, a major oil-producing region, and the capital Riyadh.
6:29 a.m.
Saudi forces confirm strikes on Yemen oil sites
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis confirmed on Tuesday that it had struck oil sites in western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in response to the deadliest attack on kingdom soil in years.
Explosions were heard shortly after in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and at a facility of oil giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia, witnesses and journalists told AFP.
Tuesday’s coalition strikes in Yemen’s Sanaa and the western provinces of Dhamar and Saada targeted facilities used to “supply the war effort” by the Houthis in order to “threaten the kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and waterways,” coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki wrote on X.
An AFP correspondent in Sanaa reported an explosion, while a news alert on the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television channel earlier claimed that “Saudi aggression” had targeted the oil company.
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