Saudi Arabia Intercepts Houthi Missile as Iran's President Leaves UN Summit
Saudi forces intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile over Khamis Mushait, while Iran's president left New York and West Bank settlers escalated water seizures.
Saudi Arabia's military said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen early Saturday, the latest in a series of cross-border attacks. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the projectile was aimed at Khamis Mushait, a city in the kingdom's southwest. No group immediately claimed responsibility, and the Houthis often take days to acknowledge such launches.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, which represents Arab states in the region, condemned the attack as a "grave escalation and threat to regional security" and called on the international community to act. The claim could not be independently verified.
Separately, Iranian state-linked media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian has left New York for Tehran after a week of diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly. In his address, Pezeshkian rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to "annihilate" Iran but said Tehran remains open to dialogue. His visit included hours of indirect talks with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists on Friday that Tehran had proposed, through mediators, a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear negotiations within seven days. The offer is conditional on Washington lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waiving sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and observing a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers have stepped up efforts to take over natural springs and heritage sites, according to Israeli rights groups. The springs are crucial for drinking water, tourism and farming, and are increasingly off-limits to the 2.8 million Palestinians living there. In the Jordan Valley, settlers cut a water pipe serving a Palestinian village and redirected it to a pool they named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea. The struggle over water access reflects the broader contest for control of the territory, where Palestinians have faced shortages since 1967.