What to know about the Iran war today:
o The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it struck oil sites across western Yemen on Tuesday, including in the capital Sanaa, and earlier said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom's east. Debris from two intercepted missiles fell on residential parts of Riyadh, the Saudi Civil Defense said, and four people were injured.

o The new strikes come after at least 20 people, including a U.S. national, were killed in a week of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's main airport, which pushed oil prices back up and prompted President Trump to consider joining the Saudi-led battle against the Houthis in Yemen as it becomes the epicenter of the Middle East war.

o A Houthi official said Monday there would be a "swift and painful" response if the U.S. joins Saudi Arabia's strikes against the Iran-backed group.

8:53 PM
Intercepted missiles over Riyadh injure at least 4 people, officials say
Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh on Tuesday, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes.

State-run Saudi Press Agency reported the injured included two women, a man and a child. Images released by Saudi's Civil Defense showed broken windows caused by what it said was fallen shrapnel.

6:16 PM / October 13, 2026
Building fire reported in Aramco compound targeted by Houthis, Saudi officials say
The Saudi Ministry of Energy said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building in Aramco, one of the world's largest oil facilities, that was targeted in the country's Eastern Province. The ministry said no injuries were reported.

The attack comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged attacks Tuesday night. It marks a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis and came shortly after the Saudi coalition reported a series of alerts for incoming missiles heading for the country's Eastern Province, a major oil-producing region and the capital Riyadh.

Updated 5:15 PM / October 13, 2026
U.S. requiring government employees in Saudi Arabia to have special authorization to use airports
Amid Houthi attacks across Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Department of State announced Tuesday it is requiring government employees to have special authorization from a chief of mission to use any airport in the kingdom.

U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia are also not allowed to travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border due to safety risks and need special authorization for travel to the provinces of Jizan, Asir, Najran, and the cities of Qatif, Yanbu and Taif, according to the State Department's security alert.

"U.S. citizens should be aware of potential attacks on airports, flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions," the alert reads. "Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia. We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport."

Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authorities have suspended operations at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh through Oct. 17. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are still operational with delays and cancellations, according to the State Department.

4:59 PM / October 13, 2026
Saudi-led forces confirm strikes on Yemen oil sites
The Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis confirmed it struck oil sites across western Yemen on Tuesday, including in the capital Sanaa, in response to the deadliest attack on the kingdom's soil in years.

Blasts were heard shortly after in Saudi capital Riyadh and at an oil giant Aramco facility 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 to "threaten the kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and waterways," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X.

An AFP correspondent in Sanaa reported an explosion, while a breaking news alert on the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel said earlier that "Saudi aggression" targeted the oil firm.

3:56 PM / October 13, 2026
2 vessels in Strait of Hormuz hit by projectiles, U.K. maritime agency says
A tanker and a container ship were hit by projectiles of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime agency said on Tuesday, as Iran keeps up its blockade of the strategic waterway in place since the start of the Middle East war.

An investigation is underway, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, without specifying whether the attacks caused any damage or casualties.

Since the beginning of the war, triggered in late February by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Tehran, Iran has claimed control of the strait and regularly targets ships that try to transit it without its permission.

Washington, in response, has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

3:33 PM / October 13, 2026
Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi missiles and drones across the kingdom
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom's east, after witnesses heard the sounds of blasts at an Aramco facility in Dhahran.

The coalition announced the "interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia at Dhahran," adding that debris fell in a residential area in the city, which hosts the headquarters of oil giant Aramco.

In a separate statement, the coalition said it intercepted a second missile targeting the city of Harad, also in the Eastern Province.

About 40 minutes later, the spokesperson for the military coalition said they intercepted and destroyed two drones in the Riyadh region and the southern region. It also destroyed three cruise missiles in the same areas.

2:45 PM / October 13, 2026
Iran appears to be targeting ship-to-ship oil transfers in Strait of Hormuz, military institute says
Iran appears to be targeting commercial vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in and near the Strait of Hormuz in order to try to undermine vessels' ability to move energy through the strait, the Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.

Iran may be developing its anti-ship missile capabilities, the U.S.-based think tank said in a post on X.

The U.K.'s Maritime Trade Operations Centre posted on X Monday that at least three vessels had been attacked by unknown projectiles in the strait a day earlier. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

But Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's top security body, told state TV on Saturday that Iranian forces were striking an average of five "smuggling ships" every night.

Rezaei appeared to be referring to U.S. efforts to guide oil shipments through the strait before the oil is transferred to larger tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman.

2:21 PM / October 13, 2026
Saudi leader MBS speaks with Turkish President Erdo?an about Houthis
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke over the phone with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, as the Iran-backed Houthis step up attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said Erdo?an conveyed condolences for the strikes on Saudi civilian targets, including the airport attack in Riyadh that killed 13 people over the weekend.

"President Erdo?an also affirmed Türkiye's full solidarity with the Kingdom and its support of all measures aimed at safeguarding Saudi Arabia's security and strengthening its stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in August that states an attack on one country should be considered an attack on all of the countries and responded to accordingly.

President Trump was also asked while leaving the White House on Tuesday whether he will urge Erdo?an to help in Saudi Arabia.

"I might do it. He's a great friend of mine, as you know," Mr. Trump told reporters. "And I might do that. I have a lot of respect for the president of Turkey. President Erdo?an, I think, would do as I ask."

2:02 PM / October 13, 2026
Iran shifts focus to "harder targets, like military sites" with mounting sabotage attacks, U.K. spy chief warns
Iran has made a "major shift" in its efforts to attack the United Kingdom, including going after harder targets such as military bases, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 warned Tuesday.

In his annual threat update at MI5 headquarters in London, Sir Ken McCallum outlined the growing challenges facing the country, from hostile foreign governments and terrorism to the potential misuse of AI. Iran, he said, has demonstrated that it is "keen on subcontracting its U.K. violence … using criminal proxies to try to intimidate oppositionists, Iranian media organizations, and Israeli sites."

"Sadly, much of this aggression has been aimed at British Jewish communities, with whom I want to express solidarity," he said.

"The other major shift this year has been Iranian ambitions to come at harder targets, like military sites," he added.

All of these alleged activities led to more than 50 Iran-linked arrests in the U.K. over the past year alone, McCallum said.

1:37 PM / October 13, 2026
Suspected cholera cases surge in Yemen, WHO warns
Suspected cholera cases in Yemen have tripled in three weeks, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, warning that the growing disease burden was straining hospitals already treating an increasing number of war casualties.

The country's escalating war, combined with mass displacement, is helping infectious disease outbreaks spread, the WHO said, with overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water and disrupted health services exposing more people to cholera, measles and other preventable diseases.

Suspected cholera cases tripled from 217 in the week beginning Sept. 6, to 647 in the week beginning Sept. 27, the U.N. health agency said.

It said Yemeni authorities have reported 8,034 suspected cases and 27 cholera deaths this year – with a quarter of the suspected cases occurring in the last four weeks alone.

"Families fleeing conflict are now facing another threat from diseases that can be prevented and treated," said Annette Heinzelmann, the WHO's emergency director for the region. "Without urgent funding and unimpeded access to safe water, vaccination and essential health services, outbreaks could spread rapidly among already vulnerable communities."

1:14 PM / October 13, 2026
U.K. advises against nonessential travel to Riyadh in wake of Houthi strikes
The United Kingdom is advising against all but essential travel to large areas of Saudi Arabia, including the capital city of Riyadh, in the wake of Houthi strikes.

The new warning, released Tuesday, also included several areas the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office warned should be avoided entirely. The area to be avoided entirely is within about 6 miles of the Yemeni border with Saudi Arabia, according to the U.K. Nonessential travel is not advised to Aseer, Riyadh, Najran and Jizan provinces.

The U.S. has issued similar advisories for travel to Saudi Arabia, banning all government employees from being within 20 miles of the Yemeni border and advising against all U.S. citizens visiting that area.

The U.S. also "strongly recommends" citizens avoid King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the surrounding areas in the wake of a Houthi attack on Saturday that killed 13 people.

12:43 PM / October 13, 2026
Houthis "behaving very badly," emerged again "probably at the behest of Iran," Trump says
President Trump would not say whether he'll join Saudi Arabia in launching strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen when leaving the White House on Tuesday afternoon but he did later send a Truth Social threatening the group.

"The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They've been silent for a long time, but now they've emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran."

The president said the Houthis came back "in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil prices, probably prior to the U.S. Elections — NOT NICE."

The Houthis have struck multiple airports in the last week, including a strike Saturday against Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that killed 13 people.

Mr. Trump said he had spoken with Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman, but would not say whether he'd decided to join the Saudi campaign against the Houthis.

"I can't tell you that," the president said from the White House South Lawn, while leaving for a trip to Alaska. "Do you really think I can tell you that? I'd love to tell you, but I'm not going to tell you that."

The U.S. launched multiple strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen from March to May 2025. More than 150 innocent civilians were also killed in those strikes, according to a report released by the Pentagon this August.

12:08 PM / October 13, 2026
Saudi-led forces attack oil facilities west of Yemeni capital, Houthi broadcaster says
Saudi-led forces carried out airstrikes on oil facilities west of Sanaa, Yemen's Houthi-held capital, Houthi-linked TV network Al-Masirah reported Tuesday. The report did not provide any evidence of the strikes.

It came shortly after a warning was issued by the Saudi-led military coalition spokesman to residents in part of Sanaa to evacuate for their safety. Witnesses in the city reported explosions in Sanaa. It was not immediately clear what was hit.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on X that the Iran-backed group's forces were "confronting the Saudi enemy's combat formations that are targeting the capital, Sanaa."

The Houthis warned Tuesday that if Saudi Arabia attacked Sanaa, they would retaliate against Saudi Aramco facilities and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

11:37 AM / October 13, 2026
Houthis threaten Saudi Aramco facilities
The Iran-backed Houthis issued an evacuation warning Tuesday to civilians near all facilities belonging to Saudi Arabia's state-run energy giant Saudi Aramco.

In a post on X, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group wished to "warn all employees and citizens present near any facility belonging to Aramco to evacuate it and move away, as it is a legitimate target for our forces."

It came after a warning issued earlier Tuesday by the Saudi-led military coalition to civilians in parts of Yemen's Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, to evacuate ahead of what it said would be a "targeted operation."

10:44 AM / October 13, 2026
Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia with "harsh and painful" retaliation for any attacks on Sanaa
The Houthis warned Saudi Arabia Tuesday that any strikes on the Yemeni capital would trigger a "harsh and painful" retaliation.

"Any strikes on the capital, Sanaa, will be met with a harsh and painful response in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh," Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree warned in a post on X.

An hour later he expanded on the threat, saying in another post that if Saudi Arabia "proceeds with its announced targeting" of Sanaa, the Iran-backed rebels would attack state energy company Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Damman, along with King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, which they have already targeted with deadly missile strikes, and Aramco's refinery in Riyadh.

The escalating conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen's government has spiralled over the past week, with a series of Houthi strikes reaching Saudi airports, killing at least 20 people.

9:43 AM / October 13, 2026
Saudi Arabia to issue evacuation warning for part of Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said Tuesday that it was poised to issue an evacuation warning for civilians in part of Sanaa, the war-torn nation's capital city, which has been held by the Iran-backed rebels for more than a decade.

"A warning will be imminently issued for civilians to evacuate a site in Sanaa ahead of a targeted operation," coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said in a post on X.

Saudi Arabia has been hit by repeated and deadly Houthi strikes over the last week, as it continues targeting areas held by the rebels near the Yemen-Saudi border, as well as along its Red Sea coast.

9:14 AM / October 13, 2026
Saudi missile warning system went silent days before Houthi onslaught, Reuters reports
Saudi Arabia's public missile warning system went silent days before the Houthis launched a series of deadly strikes on the kingdom last week, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.

The system stopped working before Houthi missile strikes on Saudi airports killed 20 people - most of them over last weekend at the capital's King Khalid International Airport.

Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation to determine how its air defenses failed to intercept the recent barrages of Houthi missiles and drones, two regional officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press Tuesday.

8:47 AM / October 13, 2026
Saudis say they intercept three Houthi drones north of Riyadh
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis said Tuesday that its forces had intercepted three drones north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

"Interception and destruction of 3 drones north of Riyadh city," Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, wrote on X.

The reported drone interceptions, however, come after a week of deadly Houthi missile attacks, which appear to have evaded Saudi defenses with alarming regularity.

At least 20 people were killed over the last week in Houthi strikes on Saudi airports, including 13 killed in a single missile strike Saturday on King Khalid International, in the capital city Riyadh.

7:29 AM / October 13, 2026
Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran
President Trump said he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran, adding they have "too much to lose."

Responding to comments that China and Russia may be assisting Iran, Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post: "If they are, it's at a very low level, but I don't believe they are at all."

"They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast!" he added.

Mr. Trump said in July that he did not believe China and Russia were selling weapons to Iran, warning that "it would be very bad for them" if they did.

The Kremlin has previously denied reports that Russia was sharing intel with Iran, while China has denied reports that the country's top semiconductor firm has sent chipmaking tools to Iran.

Both countries have also been accused of helping Iran circumvent sanctions on its oil sales.

In August, the U.S. Treasury announced a wave of economic sanctions targeting Iran's allies, namely China and Iran.

6:59 AM / October 13, 2026
Iran says it reached understanding with Oman on temporary shipping route
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said in an interview published Monday that it reached an understanding with Oman to establish a temporary shipping route between the two countries.

"We have reached an understanding on establishing a temporary safe and secure route between the two countries, and some implementation details are still being followed up," foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei said.

While the shipping route between Oman and Iran is unrelated to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the two countries have been engaged in talks about the future management of the vital waterway for months.

6:34 AM / October 13, 2026
Egypt calls on Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called Tuesday for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Abdelatty said during a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that there was "no justification for these attacks and they cannot be accepted."

Abdelatty also urged prioritizing diplomacy and finding a political solution to the conflict between Iran and the U.S. to avert "further escalation and instability" in the region, according to the Egyptian readout of the call.

6:01 AM / October 13, 2026
Houthi rebels say airstrikes targeted them in Yemen
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had carried out more airstrikes targeting areas the group holds along Yemen's northern border with the kingdom, as well as its Red Sea coast.

The Houthi-run al-Masirah television network said two airstrikes hit the Red Sea island of Kamaran, while a third hit the Qanawis district, about 34 miles northwest of the port city of Hodeida.

The station also reported Saudi strikes in Jawf province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, Houthi forces shot down a Saudi drone over the group's stronghold in Saada province, which also borders Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis did not confirm the strikes, but they have been attacking Houthi positions in Yemen for years in support of the country's recognized government, which lost control of the capital Sanaa, along with a huge swathe of western Yemen, to the rebels more than a decade ago.

5:33 AM / October 13, 2026
Iranian government acknowledges economic hardship amid ongoing war
Iran's government on Tuesday again acknowledged the mounting economic pressure it is facing seven and a half months into the war with the U.S.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the country has "faced extensive pressures and attacks."

Mohajerani said the government was directing scarce foreign currency resources toward importing essential goods, while suspending activities considered lower priority, including approvals for certain vehicle imports, stressing that these supplies were necessary to maintain economic stability and meet people's basic needs.

"The aim of these measures is to reduce economic instability and strengthen the country's ability to withstand external shocks and pressures," she said.

The government is also seeking to reduce fuel consumption and limit petrol imports, according to Mohajerani, who said fuel consumption had fallen by 7% compared with the same period last year, while compressed natural gas consumption had increased by 12%.

2:19 AM / October 13, 2026
Houthis threaten U.S. with "painful" response if it joins Saudi Arabia's offensive
A Houthi official threatened the U.S. on Monday with a "swift and painful" response if it joined Saudi Arabia in striking the Iran-backed group.

Following an attack at the Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday that killed 13 people, President Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the group. He had reportedly rebuffed previous requests for help from the kingdom.

"The Houthis are misbehaving very badly. They're misbehaving very badly. No good," Mr. Trump said on Monday.

"If the U.S. becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the U.S. and all its interests in the region," Houthi political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti told the Agence France-Presse news agency in an interview.

He also warned "all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports (should) stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets".

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