Middle East and Africa: Strikes on Riyadh, Stalled Talks with Iran and Rising Humanitarian Strain
Fertilizer shipments from the Gulf region have remained largely halted for more than six months since the conflict began, according to a recent note from the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute.
Attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has urged Indonesian nationals in Saudi Arabia to avoid non-essential travel and to keep away from King Khalid International Airport. The advice followed a series of deadly missile strikes in the area over the weekend.
Saudi authorities reported that one person was killed and nearly a dozen others were injured in a fresh attack on the airport on Sunday. The day before, a strike claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Saturday's attack was the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, and it arrived without warning because no alert was issued through Saudi Arabia's threat warning system.
Earlier, Saudi officials said three people, including a pilot, were killed in attacks on the airport when the Houthis claimed hits on the facility. The rebels later said they had also struck an Aramco refinery and several other sites in the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed Houthi targets along the Red Sea coast. Yemen's government forces also said they had hit Houthi positions across the country, deepening a conflict that is already devastating one of the poorest nations in the world.
- The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on the kingdom and are targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
- Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have traded fresh cross-border strikes, prompting Yemenis to flee by boat.
- The fighting has raised new risks to global oil supplies.
Diplomacy with Iran
US and Iranian officials have separately held talks with mediators as part of a renewed effort to end a war that has now lasted seven months. Qatar says it hopes shuttle diplomacy between Tehran and Washington can produce a breakthrough, even though US President Donald Trump has denied reports that he was prepared to ease sanctions and release frozen funds in return for Iranian concessions on its nuclear program.
Trump recently rejected a truce proposal from Iran that Tehran said could have reopened the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within a week. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has met US envoy Steve Witkoff and set out conditions for ending the war and reopening the strait. Trump has warned that he could destroy Iran if no deal is reached, while also suggesting that an agreement could come soon. Iran's military has said it will respond harshly to any new attack.
Gaza, Lebanon and the UN
The UAE president hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an unusually public acknowledgment of ties at a time when many in the region view him as the face of the war in Gaza. Netanyahu faces growing criticism abroad over the war while campaigning for reelection at home ahead of an October 27 vote.
Indonesia has made Palestine central to its call for stronger multilateralism, arguing that the Gaza crisis will test whether the United Nations can live up to its founding principles. Foreign Minister Sugiono urged other countries to boost support for the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees, which is facing a financial crisis and political attacks. Indonesia's delegate walked out during Netanyahu's address at the UN, a move analysts say signals a shift from the position taken by President Prabowo Subianto at the same forum last year.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says medical supplies bound for the Palestinian territories wait a median of 74 days for clearance. Officials warn that if shipments are not cleared, the lengthy process must begin again from the start.
In Lebanon, the head of UN peacekeepers said it is critical that other UN agencies and Lebanese troops be ready to take over the force's tasks before it begins withdrawing at the end of this year.
President Prabowo and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict and called for de-escalation across the Middle East.