Iran's Houthi allies step up deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia

By Frank Andrews is a CBS News journalist based in London. Read Full Bio October 9, 2026 / 7:09 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google What to know about the Iran war today:Three Saudi citizens were killed Thursday in an attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Riyadh's main airport. Fighting between the Iranian proxy group and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen has escalated this week in what appears to be the new epicenter of the wider war in the Middle East.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Tehran had revised its proposals to initiate peace talks with the U.S. and stood ready to finalize them through mediators. President Trump rejected a "7-day plan" offered by Iran in late September to get both sides back around the negotiating table.The price of Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, eased Friday to around $103 a barrel after Mr. Trump promised the U.S. would not resume attacks on Iran before the U.S. midterm elections early next month. He also touted "productive conversations" with Iran, though he offered no specifics. 11m ago Saudi authorities say 3 civilians killed in attacks on Riyadh airport claimed by Houthi rebels Three Saudi citizens were killed and several other people "of different nationalities" were wounded in attacks targeting Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia Airlines aircraft, the kingdom's civil aviation authority said Friday.Thursday's attack was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in neighboring Yemen launched a major military offensive last weekend aimed at retaking territory seized by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.It was a significant escalation in what appears to be the new epicenter of the wider war in the Middle East sparked by the joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran in late February.The first attack Thursday afternoon targeted airport facilities, while the second struck the aircraft, which was empty at the time, the Saudi statement said. It did not identify those responsible, though the Houthis have claimed to target the airport repeatedly this week with ballistic missiles, including on Thursday.Among the dead was Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, the Saudia Group said in a statement seen by the Associated Press. It appeared to be the first confirmed attack on the Saudi national carrier since the new offensive against the Houthis began.The Saudi aviation agency, GACA, said in its statement that injuries to citizens and people of other nationalities "ranged from minor to serious." The Houthis this week warned global airlines "for the last time" about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they have declared a theater for military operations.On Wednesday, Saudi officials said attacks on the Riyadh and Abha airports claimed by the Houthis had killed three people.CBS/AP 11m ago Iran says it has revised proposals to renew peace talks with U.S. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Iran had revised its proposals for negotiations with the United States and was ready to finalize them through intermediaries."We have made our revisions to these proposals. Once they are finalized, we are supposed to sit down through the mediators and consolidate them," Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.He said Iran had put forward proposals, and the U.S. had also presented new ones, but he accused Washington of repeatedly scuppering diplomatic efforts."Every time we hold talks with the U.S., they attack again," Pezeshkian said. Iranians stand at attention during the inauguration of a training center by the Iranian army for "Jan-Fadayan" (those willing to sacrifice their lives) volunteers, at Haft-e-Tir Square in central Tehran, Oct. 3, 2026. ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Addressing Putin, Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its positions on regional issues, including at the United Nations."Our efforts are aimed at ending the war and ensuring that the rights of the Iranian people are respected within the framework of international law," Pezeshkian said. "But if the United States seeks to proceed through unilateralism, it will not be possible." 11m ago USS Lincoln returns home to San Diego for first time in over 10 months The USS Abraham Lincoln and its more than 4,500 sailors returned home to San Diego on Thursday for the first time in 321 days, a jubilant homecoming after a long deployment that included months in the Middle East.Braving the heat, hundreds of family members and friends waited for hours in the sun to greet their loved ones. As the ship pulled into the harbor, a roar of cheers erupted from a pier. Sailors stood at attention on the deck for the aircraft carrier's long approach, and after they were released, smiles and waves broke out as sailors took out their phones to call people on the pier.In one such reunion, McKenzie Adkins held her 10-week-old son Declan as she waved to her husband, Alexander, on the ship's deck, before the new father met his son for the first time.The Lincoln carrier strike group had been deployed for more than 10 months, including more than 250 uninterrupted days at sea this year. Much of that time was spent in the Middle East, where the aircraft carrier and its escort ships supported the U.S. war against Iran. It left the region in late August. Read more here. 11m ago U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia issues new security alert over airport attacks The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia is warning Americans to "exercise heightened vigilance" if they are traveling through King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh due to attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group."The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate," the embassy wrote on X. "U.S. citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions."The Houthis have launched attacks on the airport, hundreds of miles into interior Saudi Arabia, four times this week. Three people were killed at airports on Oct. 6 and 7 in Saudi Arabia, including one at King Khalid International Airport, according to the country's aviation authority.The embassy had already warned citizens not to travel near the Yemeni border. U.S. government employees are banned from traveling within 20 miles of the border. On Thursday, the embassy also said government officials now require special authorization to travel through King Khalid International Airport. 11m ago Trump says U.S. won't attack Iran before midterms, touts oil coming through strait President Trump has promised the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, which take place on Nov. 3. He also touted "productive conversations" with Iran, though he did not provide specifics."I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, with Oil flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait (22 Million Barrels, last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!), we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," he wrote on Truth Social.Several outlets reported on Thursday that Mr. Trump was considering new strikes on Iran before the midterms.The Trump administration has consistently provided numbers for the millions of barrels being escorted out of the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection. Moving out 22 million barrels of oil in one night would mark a total similar to prewar levels. Brent crude, the international standard, was up to $105 a barrel, about a 4% increase from close Wednesday, before Mr. Trump's post on social media. After the post, it dropped to $103 a barrel. In: War Iran Israel Donald Trump Saudi Arabia Houthi Yemen Oil and Gas Strait of Hormuz Trump says U.S. won't attack Iran before midterms 05:15 Trump says U.S. won't attack Iran before midterms (05:15)