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Houthis attack Saudi Arabia before high-stakes talks in Tehran
Yemen's Houthis have kept up their attacks on Saudi Arabia as senior officials from the kingdom, Turkey and Pakistan are due to hold high-stakes talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday, following warnings of a return to war.
Fresh explosions rattled Riyadh overnight, along with a text message warning to residents, after the Iran-allied Houthis claimed a new attack on the Saudi capital's international airport on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has become deeply embroiled in the eight-month war since hostilities in its long-running conflict with the Iran-allied Houthis resumed in July.
Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is among the delegations travelling to Tehran, made up of officials from the three countries that signed a defence alliance in Mecca in August.
Their visit follows warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could resume.
Tensions have increased ahead of Israel's pivotal election on Tuesday and next week's US mid-terms, where US President Donald Trump's Republicans are battling to keep control of both chambers of the US Congress.
Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei will take part in Monday's meeting with Prince Khalid, Pakistani army chief General Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Bagheri Kani, told state TV.
"This historic meeting in Tehran may be the last chance before escalation spirals out of control, an attempt to impose a path of de-escalation before it's too late," Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi security analyst and researcher, posted on X.
"The presence of military and security figures at this level together means that the remaining time is extremely limited."
- 'Serious tensions' -
On Sunday, as blasts rang out over Riyadh and authorities sent texts warning residents of a "hostile aerial threat", the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it struck missile launchers and storage facilities in Yemen.
The Houthis said they had attacked Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport once again. The repeatedly targeted facility has been largely closed since 13 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in a major attack this month.
Mediation efforts between the US and Iran have been led by Qatar and Pakistan. A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
"Our region is in the grip of serious tensions, and neighbouring countries are striving to convey a message and put forward initiatives," Baqaei said on Monday.
Andreas Krieg of London-based risk consultancy MENA analytica said Prince Khalid's presence in Tehran was "hugely significant", calling him the "strategic mastermind of Saudi Arabia".
Prince Khalid, brother of Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has emerged as one of Saudi Arabia's key diplomatic interlocutors, dispatched on sensitive regional missions.
"For him to go to Iran directly in this very sensitive time is a very, very strong signal that the kingdom is not just... sitting and waiting for things, events to unfold," Krieg told AFP.
"There's a clear effort by the Mecca alliance to signal to Iran that they're ready to work together to defend the kingdom and defend the kingdom's borders," he added.
"And so should Iran think to escalate, which they will likely do if Israel and the US strikes, and they will most likely strike Saudi Arabia, Iran will have to bear the consequences."
- 'Don't test us' -
Comments by senior officials have raised speculation about renewed hostilities.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday "there has been talk of a new war" but that Tehran's policies remain unchanged.
Trump said on Friday that Washington "may do another little Epic Fury", referring to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran that began on February 28.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran may try to disrupt the Israeli elections, where he is in a close-fought race to stay in power.
"We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," Netanyahu said.
"Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows," added Netanyahu, who has campaigned heavily on his security credentials.
The remarks came as Israel's Channel 12, citing unnamed sources, reported a confrontation between Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir over an unspecified new directive in the war with Iran, which the premier denied.
burs-th/jsa
O. Larsen--BTZ
