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This photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency shows firefighters inspecting damage to a building caused by falling debris from a drone that Saudi authorities said was launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels and intercepted over Taif province, western Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)The United States Embassy in Israel has issued a security alert as Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to strike key targets in Saudi Arabia. The security alert advised US citizens in Israel to “exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.”
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed fresh attacks on Saudi and Aramco sites, even as it denied targeting Mecca with a drone.
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What did the Houthis say they targeted: Yemen’s Houthi movement said it struck what it called “sensitive” locations in Riyadh, using a mix of ballistic missiles and drones. It also claimed an attack on an Aramco facility in the Saudi city of Yanbu. At the same time, the group pushed back strongly against separate claims that it had aimed a drone at Mecca, denying any such attack took place.
Key world developments
- Saudi Arabia issued a security alert for Riyadh for the second time, then gave the all-clear shortly after.
- Iran executed a man accused of passing missile-related information to Israel.
- Turkey pulled the operating licence of Bank Mellat, one of Iran’s biggest private banks.
- Flames and a large plume of black smoke were spotted near Riyadh’s airport, according to Reuters and AFP.
- The Saudi-led coalition said it shot down and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh on Saturday.
Follow the latest world news and major international developments here. This live blog is a rolling curation of the day’s key global stories, with updates added as events unfold and the news agenda changes. The headline, introduction and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the stories that matter most at that moment.
Live Updates
On camera: Sikh driver assaulted, beard pulled before bus hijacked in UK
Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan undergoes medical checkup at Adiala jail: Reports
US Embassy in Israel issues security alert amid Houthi attacks on Saudi targets
Iran informed that US plans to resume attack
South Korea says North Korea has launched projectile towards sea
South Korea on Sunday said that North Korea has launched an additional projectile toward the sea, the Associated Press reported.
Pakistan minister Naqvi to visit Tehran amid rising West Asia tensions
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will visit Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iranian leaders and officials amid heightened tensions in West Asia, according to media reports.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the visit would focus on bilateral relations and following up on previous understandings between Islamabad and Tehran. He said there was no specific mediation message planned for the visit.
Naqvi is expected to meet senior Iranian officials, with the talks coming amid intensified fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and ongoing tensions involving Iran and the US.
The visit follows a phone call between Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which Dar stressed the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for ships.
BYC welcomes Balochistan human rights issue being raised at UNHRC
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has welcomed the raising of the human rights situation in Balochistan and the detention of its leaders at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, according to ANI.
In a post on X, the BYC said concerns raised by Global Human Rights Defense over its leaders and workers were an important development. It urged the UN, international human rights organisations and other institutions to monitor the situation, support independent investigations and raise concerns of affected families.
The BYC also referred to the alleged enforced disappearance and subsequent death of 20-year-old Baloch student Imran Ali, who it said was taken away from Quetta in August 2025 and remained unaccounted for nearly a year.
North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea off east coast, Japan says
North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile into the sea off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast on Sunday, Japan’s Defence Ministry said. South Korea also reported that Pyongyang had fired an unidentified projectile, while Japanese broadcaster NHK said it fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
South Korea’s presidential office convened a National Security Council meeting following the launch, which came about a week after another missile test. Seoul condemned the latest launch and called on Pyongyang to immediately halt its missile activity, saying it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Ukraine fires more than 1,000 drones at Russia in largest attack on Moscow
Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones at targets across Russia overnight, Russian officials said on Sunday, in what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as the “largest ever” drone attack on the capital. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 1,100 drones across the country, including over Crimea and the Black Sea.
Sobyanin said 450 drones were destroyed while heading towards Moscow, with some reaching the Moscow Oil Refinery and a residential building. The attack came on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections, as voting continued amid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
A massive attack on Moscow and Moscow region. An oil refinery in Kapotnya and a warehouse complex in Sofyino were struck. The refinery can process around 11 million tonnes of oil a year and supplies a significant share of Moscow’s fuel market. https://t.co/lwbKe0t8Qs
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 20, 2026
Two killed in Moscow region as Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery
Two people were killed in the Moscow region during one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks on the area, Russian authorities said on Sunday. More than 1,600 drones were reportedly downed across Russia since Saturday, including around 450 targeting Moscow.
Several drones reached the premises of the Moscow oil refinery, with one reportedly hitting an apartment building. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the refinery, though the extent of damage was not immediately known. Around 400 people, including 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-storey apartment block in the Ramenskoye district after the attack.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met, Fars reports
ran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and US commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iran must both fight and negotiate, Qalibaf said, adding that Tehran would use military force to push back its enemies and diplomacy to consolidate battlefield gains when the time is right.
How a local Yemeni movement became West Asia’s wildcard
The rapid advances made by the Yemeni armed group Houthis last week along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait left Saudi Arabia’s oil exports and shipping exposed in the critical sea lane. Bab el-Mandeb had emerged as an alternative sea route to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since the war in West Asia broke out in February.
Saudi Arabia has retaliated, and a series of intense attacks by both sides have resulted in the deaths of civilians, with tens of thousands displaced along Yemen’s coast. Both China and Pakistan have urged Iran to use its influence over the Houthis and help rein it in after Riyadh’s appeal to Beijing, according to reports. Read more
Flight disruptions after Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia, Etihad cancels Abu Dhabi flight
Tensions have soared in West Asia yet again after Houthi attack on the Saudi capital Riyadh, prompting travel advisory and disrupting air travel in the region. Flight operations to and from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were disrupted on Saturday after smoke was seen near the airport.
Late on Saturday night, travel disruption played out thousands of kilometres away from Riyadh, at Delhi’s international airport. Around 200 passengers who had boarded Etihad Airways flight EY217, bound for Abu Dhabi, found themselves waiting, then deboarding, and finally watching their journey cancelled altogether all because of a technical fault discovered on the aircraft shortly before departure.
Yemen government condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has condemned “in the strongest terms” attacks on Riyadh on Saturday morning, describing them as a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.
In a statement, Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it holds the Houthis responsible for the attack, adding it “also holds the Iranian regime responsible for continuing to provide them with military support and enabling them to continue their attacks in service of its regional agenda”.
It also expressed support for any measures Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition forces take to “deter the attacks and protect the kingdom’s security”.
B-1B bomber spotted leaving RAF Fairford on afterburner, loaded for a mission
A US B-1B Lancer bomber was filmed taking off from RAF Fairford this evening with its afterburners fully lit. A takeoff like this usually points to a heavier aircraft, often carrying a full weapons load, though it can also happen during routine training flights. Fairford has served as the main base for Operation Epic Fury strikes on Iranian targets since March, with around a dozen B-1Bs still stationed there.
U.S. B-1B Lancer bomber was filmed taking off from RAF Fairford tonight with full afterburners.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 20, 2026
Afterburner takeoffs typically mean the jet is heavy — often indicating a full weapons load — though they can also happen on training runs.
Fairford has been the main base for…
Houthis say targeted 'sensitive sites' in Riyadh, Aramco facilities in Yanbu
Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday that they launched strikes targeting "sensitive sites" in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and oil facilities in the kingdom's port city of Yanbu, hours after residents reported blasts in the Saudi capital, AFP reported.
"In response to the Saudi enemy's criminal attempts to target the capital Sana'a... the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, in a statement on Telegram.
"The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu."
Turkey 'unacceptable' for Saudi Arabia to be made part of US-Iran war
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia may have some military needs due to the ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthis and that Turkey would look into them as part of a trilateral defence pact signed with Pakistan.
Speaking on broadcaster NTV, Fidan said it was unacceptable for Saudi Arabia to be made a part of the US-Iran war as it had no desire to join the conflict, and added without elaborating, that proposals have been conveyed to all sides to end the fighting.
US says it killed four people in strike on vessel in Caribbean
The US Military said it killed four people in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean on Saturday, alleging that the vessel was involved in drug trafficking.
"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking," the military's Southern Command posted on X.
The attack was the latest in a campaign dating back to last year that targets what the Trump administration describes as "narco-terrorists." Rights groups have labeled the attacks "extrajudicial killings."
CNN, MS NOW denied access to White House grounds
US media outlets CNN and MS NOW said they were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump announced a ban against them for reporting what he calls "fake news."
The news outlets both denounced the move as a violation of the US constitution and vowed to keep reporting on the US government. Both are expected to take the bans to court to regain access to the presidential mansion.
Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital
Yemen's Houthis said they attacked "sensitive" sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city's main airport.
Saudi Arabia had sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around Riyadh, amid an escalation in attacks by the Houthis in the kingdom.
Reuters video and photographs showed a huge pillar of black smoke rising in the area, with the airport highway, main terminal building and other facilities in the foreground. At one point in the video, flames were visible rising from behind what appeared to be fuel tanks.
Egypt condemns attacks on Riyadh, backs Saudi Arabia
Egypt has condemned “in the strongest terms” attacks on Riyadh on Saturday morning, describing them as a “flagrant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s security and stability and of international law.
In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the attacks represented a “dangerous escalation” that could increase regional tensions and further destabilise the region.
Cairo said it “categorically rejects” any attempt to undermine Saudi Arabia’s security or sovereignty and expressed full solidarity with the kingdom.
It also backed any measures Saudi Arabia takes to preserve its security, stability and territorial integrity, adding that the security of Saudi Arabia and Egypt is “indivisible”.
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