Debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas of Riyadh on Tuesday, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes, as the US-Iran war widened with attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The injured included two women, a man and a child, the Saudi Press Agency reported, according to CBS News. The Saudi Ministry of Energy said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building at an Aramco facility targeted in the Eastern Province, with no injuries reported.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the Middle East war that began in late February with US and Israeli strikes on Tehran — and one that lands directly on American pocketbooks. President Donald Trump accused the Houthis of trying to push oil prices higher before the November midterm elections, in which voters will decide whether Republicans keep their House and Senate majorities.
Saudi coalition strikes Yemen after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed it struck oil sites across western Yemen on Tuesday, including in Sanaa, Dhamar and Saada, in response to what it described as the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in years, CBS News reported.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X that the strikes targeted facilities used to "supply the war effort" by the Houthis to "threaten the kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and waterways."
The coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom's east, including one aimed at Dhahran, which hosts Aramco's headquarters, and a second targeting the city of Harad, also in the Eastern Province. Witnesses and journalists told AFP that blasts were heard in Riyadh and at the Aramco facility.
Riyadh airport suspended; US restricts employee travel
Saudi civil aviation authorities suspended operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh through Oct. 17. Airports in Jeddah and Dammam remain operational but with delays and cancellations, according to the State Department.
The State Department announced Tuesday it is requiring US government employees to obtain special authorization from a chief of mission to use any airport in the kingdom. Employees may not travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border and need special authorization for the provinces of Jizan, Asir and Najran and the cities of Qatif, Yanbu and Taif.
"U.S. citizens should be aware of potential attacks on airports, flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions," the State Department security alert said, advising travelers to check flight status directly with airlines and airports.
Strait of Hormuz ships hit by unknown projectiles
A tanker and a container ship were hit by projectiles of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. An investigation is underway, and the agency did not say whether the attacks caused damage or casualties.
Since the war began, Iran has claimed control of the strait and regularly targeted ships transiting without its permission, CBS News reported. Washington has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports in response.
Who fired the projectiles at the two ships, and whether anyone was hurt, remained unknown as of Wednesday.
Trump links Houthi attacks to oil prices and the midterms
Trump said Tuesday the Houthis were acting "probably at the behest of Iran" and were "purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the US Elections," in a post on Truth Social, Al Jazeera reported.
"Somebody should explain to them [the Houthis] that I'm not running in the Elections, I've already won, IN A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE, but I'll be there after the Elections, and I will never forget!" Trump said, repeating his threat that the US could step up military attacks across the Middle East after the November vote.
Trump's February decision to launch the war on Iran with Israel has caused surging energy prices and cost-of-living concerns in the US, Al Jazeera reported. Democrats hope to capitalise on voter frustration over the war and rising costs to win control of one or both houses of Congress, which would allow them to block Trump's legislative agenda for the remainder of his term.
A recent AP-NORC poll found nearly 70 percent of voters say the war was not worth fighting. Trump has dismissed unfavorable polls as "fake" and pointed to crowds at his rallies as proof of his popularity.
What happens next
Several questions remain open: whether the US will join Saudi strikes on the Houthis before or after the midterms; whether Riyadh's airport reopens after Oct. 17; and how far oil prices will rise as the strait remains contested. The Houthis have threatened the US if it joins the Saudi campaign, according to CBS News.