US Embassy headquarters in Riyadh, March 3, 2026.
AFP (via Getty Images)
Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had intercepted drones and missiles fired by the Iran-allied Houthis heading for several cities, including the capital Riyadh.
Ongoing fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen-based Houthis, combined with President Donald Trump’s comments last week that suggested the United States and Israel were planning a new attack on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, pushed oil prices to a six-month high on Friday.
Two drones and a ballistic missile were “intercepted and destroyed” on their way to Riyadh, the Saudi state news agency quoted Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition for the Restoration of Orthodoxy in Yemen, as saying.
The agency quoted al-Maliki as saying that 10 ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward the southern region of Saudi Arabia were also intercepted, and a cruise missile headed for the city of Khamis Mushait was also intercepted.
The Houthis said in a Telegram post that they had “conducted seven qualitative military operations using numerous ballistic missiles and drones.”
The Houthis say targets include Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and oil giant Saudi Aramco’s facilities in Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, as well as other airports and energy facilities across the country.
Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport after Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis say they attacked the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026. This screenshot taken from a social media video.
Via social media/Reuters
King Khalid International Airport announced in a notice to travelers that it will resume operations on Sunday using Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights.
The airport ceased operations on October 10 after the attack, which killed at least 13 people and injured around 300, making it Saudi Arabia’s worst attack in more than a decade.
Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Resuming attacks on Iran “very soon”?
The Houthis and Saudi Arabia have exchanged attacks in recent weeks, raising concerns among investors that the United States may soon resume attacks on Iran.
Last week, the United States ordered non-emergency government workers and their families to leave Saudi Arabia following the Houthi attack.
President Trump said Wednesday that the United States is not negotiating with Iran and that something will happen “pretty soon.”
The president’s cryptic comments came as a US official told The New York Times that the US and Israel are planning a new attack on Iran after the midterm elections.
“I think there is a growing concern about escalating tensions in the Middle East,” founder and energy director Amrita Sen told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Friday.
“Clients keep asking, ‘Will it be before the midterm elections? Will it be after the midterm elections?'” So it’s not a question of “if.” People are asking if it’s a matter of “when”. In our view, this is more likely after the midterm elections than before. ”
Escalating tensions, concerns about supply disruptions and fears of a new U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran pushed Brent crude oil prices to a six-month high on Friday.
Brent futures rose 3.1% to close at $116.72 per barrel, the highest international benchmark clearing since April 29. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 3.8% to settle at $103.27 per barrel. Brent rose 6.2% for the week, marking the third straight week of gains. WTI rose 2.3% for the week.
Brent crude oil price, USD per barrel, year-to-date
