Saudi Arabia reopened its main airport for international flights, more than two weeks after deadly strikes by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels knocked the facility out of service. Earlier Sunday, the kingdom said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone fired by the Houthis.
Meanwhile, a massive Israeli military operation underway this weekend in the occupied West Bank — in response to an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three in Hebron on Friday — has displaced hundreds of Palestinians over the weekend and put major restrictions on Palestinian movement.
It comes just days ahead of Israel's tense election on Tuesday, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the wars and the hard-right turn Israel has taken both domestically and on the world stage.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Read our full coverage here.
Riyadh reopens its international airport as Houthi attacks persist
The King Khalid International Airport said it has opened terminals 1 and 2 for domestic and international flights, starting Sunday.
The airport announcement came as the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen continued to fire drones and missiles toward the Saudi capital.
Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone fired by the Houthis early on Sunday.
In early October, Houthi strikes hit a complex housing two other terminals, killing 17 people and wounding over 330.
Last week, the Riyadh airport opened to limited domestic flights.
Israel's military conducts a large operation in the West Bank ahead of elections
The Israeli military carried out a massive military operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and placing major restrictions on Palestinian movement.
The operations came in response to an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday.
The operation comes as Israel enters the final days before a tense election, the first since the 2023 Hamas-led attacks and ensuing wars in the region.
The vote is largely seen as a referendum on current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.
The Israeli military announced early Sunday that most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli communities for work in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday, and several crossings will also remain closed until after Israel’s elections on Tuesday.
Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are to fly home for a pivotal election
The AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Israel’s democracy, says tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for the vote.
Israeli law generally requires citizens to vote in person in the country, with narrow exceptions for diplomats and certain official emissaries abroad.
Israel has more than 7.3 million registered voters, but polling suggests a tight race. Previous elections have turned on thin margins. It’s unclear what effect these voters from abroad might have, but many liberal Israelis who don’t support Netanyahu have left the country in recent years, suggesting that those returning to cast ballots would not support him.
Iran’s foreign minister dismisses threats of a flare-up in the war
Iran’s foreign minister vowed on Sunday that new threats of war will not budge Iran from its policies.
“Today, again war is being spoken about, but I am thinking about post-war status, whether a war occurs or not, our policies will remain in place,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a group of diplomats in Tehran.
He also warned the U.S. against renewing strikes on Iran and repeated past statements that Tehran is ready to cooperate with neighboring Arab nations in the Persian Gulf.
“Everything has changed in our region," he said. "After the recent war, nothing will be like the past.”
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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