Saudi airports hit as Gaza strike kills one amid widening Middle East tensions
Fresh attacks in the Middle East left three people injured at two airports in Saudi Arabia and one person dead in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, as violence in the region showed no sign of easing.
Nearly three years after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the conflict has continued across the region, including in Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Israel also began commemorations on Monday to mark three years since the deadliest day in the country's history.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that two of its airports were attacked, leaving three people lightly injured, hours after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had fired missiles and drones at the kingdom. The attacks were the latest in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in neighbouring Yemen.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement that airports in Najran and Jizan were hit on Monday, damaging both facilities. The statement did not say who was responsible, but it came after the Houthis announced attacks on Saudi oil facilities, airports and military bases on Monday.
Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen's internationally recognised government have launched a military campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territory near the southern tip of the Red Sea to prevent disruptions to oil exports from the region.
In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed one person and severely injured another, according to health officials at the city's Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it had targeted a militant in the strike near the municipal park, a densely populated area of the Gaza Strip, but gave no further information.
It was the latest deadly attack since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago. More than 1,460 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose figures are generally considered reliable by the United Nations and independent experts.
In Israel, the country is observing a week of mourning as it marks three years since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Commemorations began on Monday, the anniversary of the attack in the Jewish calendar, and more events are scheduled on Wednesday, the anniversary in the international calendar.
During the attack, militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage, triggering a war that later spread across the region. The attack left deep trauma in Israel, especially in communities near the Gaza border. Many there are still struggling with a lost sense of security after nearly three years of war, which has destroyed much of Gaza and killed 74,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the territory.
The latest developments underline how the conflict continues to affect multiple fronts, with renewed attacks in Saudi Arabia, more deaths in Gaza and Israel marking three years since the October 7 attack.
