Saudi Arabia says Houthis tried to attack its capital, and other Mideast developments

Saudi Arabia on Saturday confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile, the first targeting of Riyadh since the escalation in fighting with the Tehran-backed rebels that has opened a new front in the Iran war..

Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran has sent Washington its conditions for ending the war via Qatar, a key mediator. Israeli strikes killed three people in Gaza. And Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah targets across several areas in southern Lebanon.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.

Saudi Arabia says Houthis tried to attack its capital

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack Riyadh with a ballistic missile, the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war.

The statement said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu — where a key Saudi pipeline ends — and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details.

The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, that they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing “massive fires.” Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran sends US conditions for ending the war

The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran has conveyed its conditions for ending the war to the U.S. via Qatar and it is waiting for President Donald Trump’s response.

It was not clear when the conditions were shared. Rezaei said they include ending the war on all fronts, releasing assets seized from Iran and ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations fell apart.

He also said Iran wants the fighting involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia to end.

US renews blanket Mideast travel alert

The U.S. State Department on Saturday renewed a blanket travel alert for Americans in or traveling to the Middle East, warning that the conflict with Iran “has the potential to escalate rapidly.”

Meanwhile, at least 11 U.S. embassies in the region issued a warning that travel disruptions are possible.

Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel

Iran’s state TV said a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.

The report said Pedram shared classified information on “sensitive military sites” in Iran’s Isfahan province. It didn’t say how he accessed the information. He was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in last year’s 12-day air war by the U.S. and Israel.

A recent surge of executions in Iran has prompted an international outcry by rights groups.

US military says oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz

The head of U.S. Central Command said the military has supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months and claimed that Iran has “exported zero barrels” because of a U.S. blockade.

Adm. Brad Cooper said the strait’s primary transit lanes have been cleared of mines, and the volume of oil, natural gas and cargo transiting over the past two weeks is the highest it has been in six months — or shortly after the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes.

But monitors say shipping traffic remains well below prewar levels. Iran continues to attack ships as it asserts control over the waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.

Israeli strikes kill 3 men in Gaza

Gaza’s Health Ministry and Shifa Hospital officials say three men were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City and the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp.

The Israeli military said it struck “military operatives.”

The heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has subsided since a ceasefire last October, but Israeli fire has killed more than 13,780 Palestinians in Gaza since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel’s military also said it struck targets in southern Lebanon associated with the Hezbollah militant group after two soldiers were wounded when their vehicle drove over an explosive device in an area occupied by Israeli troops.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported three Israeli airstrikes on the southern town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, adding that the third strike almost hit paramedics heading to the area, but no one was hurt.

Pakistani and Iranian foreign ministers talk shipping safety

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed uninterrupted energy supplies and safe passage for commercial ships during a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Dar cited the potential effects of disruptions on developing countries and global supply chains.

Rising energy prices have increased pressure on Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. An Islamist party has threatened to march on the capital, Islamabad, unless the government lowers fuel prices.

Iran race managers charged for allowing women to run without headscarves

Iran’s state TV said the Tehran prosecutor’s office filed charges against race organizers after women participated without covering their hair because “legal and Islamic Sharia” wasn’t observed.

The country’s ruling theocracy requires women to wear scarves that cover their hair and loose-fitting clothes that hide their bodies.

Footage circulated online shows women running the 10-kilometer (6-mile) race without the hair covering. Habib Sotoudehnejad, head of Tehran’s sports department, said about 5% of participants violated race rules. The race was run separately for men and women.

Turkey suggests military support for the Saudis

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested Turkey could provide military support to Saudi Arabia under a recently signed defense pact.

Asked in a TV interview about the possibility of the three-member alliance, which also includes Pakistan, engaging in military action against Yemen’s Houthis, Fidan said Turkey would “face no difficulty in meeting” any military needs.

“We observe very serious attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he told broadcaster NTV. “We have an alliance agreement in place and we stand by our word.”

Kids return to school in war-devastated Gaza

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said more than 280,000 children in Gaza are attending school in tents and heavily damaged classrooms.

At one school in Nuseirat, some classrooms have no desks, leaving children to sit on blankets on the floor. Still, some families said a return to school brings back a familiar sense of routine that was upended by war.

UNRWA education program chief Tawfiq al-Hourani said the agency three years ago operated 182 fully equipped schools. He said 95% of them have since been lost.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

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