Australians in Riyadh told to shelter as Saudis and Houthis trade attacks

Topic:Unrest, Conflict and WarPosted Mon 12 Oct 2026 at 10:14pmMon 12 Oct 2026 at 10:14pmIn short:The Australian embassy in Riyadh has issued a new shelter in place order as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis continue to exchange deadly attacks.King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed over the weekend following an attack on the site which killed 14 people and injured more than 320 others.What's next?Riyadh's airport closure was extended on Monday, and Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation did not say when it would be reopened.The Australian embassy in Riyadh has issued a new shelter in place order as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis continue to exchange deadly attacks.The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis said on Monday it was dealing with drones and missiles heading towards Saudi Arabia as hostilities with the Iran-aligned Yemeni group persist.The embassy on Monday called for people to "stay indoors, follow the advice of local authorities and avoid unnecessary travel".King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed over the weekend following consecutive attacks on the site which killed 14 people and injured more than 320 others.The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks and later warned travellers and airline workers to stay away from Saudi airports.Riyadh's airport closure was extended on Monday and Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation did not say when it would be reopened.Businesses in Riyadh's financial hub have told employees to work remotely and authorities in Riyadh have also asked schools to switch to online classes amid the Houthis' increased attacks on the kingdom.Iran offers diplomatic helpA spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry said on Monday that air strikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa killed one person and wounded 12 others.Ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said a strike on a salt factory in Sanaa's Hamadan district killed a man and wounded eight people. A separate strike on a house wounded a woman and three children, he said.The Iranian-backed rebels' media centre blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.Iran's Foreign Ministry repeated the country's readiness to help settle the conflict between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia through diplomatic means.Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran was deeply concerned about the situation in the Arabian Peninsula and had announced its readiness to mediate talks between the two sides "many times".Mr Baghaei said the war only served Israeli interests and that Iran did not accept the continuation of conflict between two Islamic nations.He said Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Saudi counterpart discussed developments on a phone call on Sunday.ABC/wires