The Saudi-led coalition said that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced the interception without providing further details, including the drone’s origin.

The coalition said on Wednesday that it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia towards Riyadh after warning alerts were activated in the capital and nearby Al-Kharj governorate.

Fighting marks an escalation in "Dawn of Yemen" campaign, launched earlier this month by Yemen’s internationally recognised government to retake territory from Houthi militia, including the capital, Sanaa.

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has ordered American government employees to obtain special authorisation before using any airport in the kingdom following recent missile and drone attacks.

In a security alert issued on Wednesday, the embassy warned US citizens of possible attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.

It urged Americans to exercise “extreme caution” when using Saudi airports and to check their flight status directly with airlines.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Colombia to condemn Israel's genocidal war in Gaza and the government's decision to open an embassy in West Jerusalem, marking a major shift in the country's foreign policy.

In the capital, Bogota, hundreds of students, social movement activists and other demonstrators marched through the streets waving Palestinian flags and denouncing President Abelardo de la Espriella's decision to restore diplomatic relations with Israel.

The demonstrations were part of a nationwide mobilisation against the conservative president's foreign and domestic policies, particularly his efforts to strengthen ties with Israel.

Protesters carried banners reading "We are not your backyard" and chanted slogans including "Zionists out, Abelardo out."

Two people, including a 4-year-old child, were injured in an Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon on Wednesday amid continued Israeli offensive despite a US-brokered framework agreement.

Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said the strike targeted the town of Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district.

Earlier, Israeli artillery shelled the towns of Mansouri and Majdal Zoun, while machine-gun fire targeted the Beit al-Sayyad area, the agency reported.

Artillery fire also struck the outskirts of Haddatha and Baraachit, along with several other locations in the Bint Jbeil district.

US President Donald Trump has said that he called off a strike on Iran after its timing was leaked to news outlets.

“Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers,” he told a rally in Arizona.

Trump said B-2 stealth bombers were sent “to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon” and that “Iran was waiting” for them.

“Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail and be shot. For the rest of their life, they should be in jail,” he said.

Yemen on Wednesday called on the UN and its Security Council to take urgent steps to lift the Houthi siege of the southwestern city of Taiz, warning of severe humanitarian consequences from the Houthi militia’s escalation.

Foreign and Expatriates Minister Afrah al-Zouba made the appeal in a letter addressed to the UN secretary-general, the Security Council president, the UN high commissioner for human rights, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.

Ethiopian Airlines describes the incident as a mistake, saying it was unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.

Attacks hit Gaza City and the southern town of al-Qarara, while reports of gunfire, demolitions and artillery shelling across the enclave raised fresh concerns over civilian safety.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix has urged the UN Security Council to begin negotiations on the future of peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon, as Beirut campaigns for an extension to the mandate set to expire at the end of this year.

"These proposals are on the table of the Security Council. There has been no movement in the Security Council until now, but I believe that the negotiations will begin shortly, in earnest," he said.

"I think it would be better to have a decision soon rather than later, right? Because that would also clarify the horizon for us, certainly from the more limited point of view of our own planning," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a three-day tour of the Middle East from October 19 to 21, the Elysee Palace announced.

The presidency announced the trip in a statement but did not specify the countries Macron will visit or provide details of his itinerary.

The visit comes as France continues diplomatic engagement on regional issues, including the situations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

The Saudi Pro League (SPL) has postponed three Matchweek 9 fixtures, including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr match against Al Ahli, amid a sharp escalation in the conflict involving the Houthi militia.

The league said in a statement that the fixtures were rescheduled for "logistical considerations, taking into account the mandatory minimum rest period between matches."

The match between league leaders Al Hilal and Al Riyadh, along with Al Ittihad's match against Al Shabab, will be played on December 19.

President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has said that Egypt has “no hidden agendas” or ambitions against anyone, responding to remarks by an Israeli official about the Sinai Peninsula in northeastern Egypt, according to a statement by the presidency.

Sisi made the remarks during the armed forces’ 44th educational symposium, titled "Homeland of Heroes", marking the 53rd anniversary of the October 1973 war.

Responding to the Israeli remarks, Sisi said Egypt had “fought a war to defend its land and recover all its territory.”

Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has said that Beijing will play a "constructive" role in realising a "comprehensive" ceasefire in the Middle East and resume long-stalled negotiations between rival parties.

"We will uphold the series of initiatives and propositions put forward by President Xi (Jinping) dedicated to peace and stability, and continue to make China's contribution and play China's constructive role in realising a comprehensive ceasefire in the Middle East, advancing political settlement, resuming negotiations at an early date, and achieving lasting peace," said Wang, according to the foreign ministry.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a post on X that Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, special envoy of the President of the UAE to China, in Beijing.

The UN has welcomed the release of a staffer from the Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen who had been detained by the Houthi militia since 2024, while renewing calls for the release of all remaining detained personnel.

"We welcome the release of Sami al-Kalabi, a staff member of the Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen, who had been detained by the Houthis since 2024," UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters at a news conference.

Palestine urges Bogota to reverse the move to preserve prospects for just, comprehensive peace.

Regional crude oil, petroleum and liquid chemical exports fall sharply as attacks on commercial vessels disrupt key shipping routes.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's first visit to Riyadh since taking office comes amid mounting security concerns over attacks on Saudi infrastructure and allegations that Iraqi territory has been used to launch cross-border strikes.

Protesters interrupt US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at US Army's largest annual conference in Washington DC, chanting slogans against war on Iran and Israel's genocide in Gaza, before being removed from the event.

Escalating conflict in Yemen has cut off life-saving food assistance to 800,000 people, as insecurity, blocked roads and shifting frontlines severely restrict humanitarian access, the World Food Program (WFP) warned.

The UN agency said in a statement that more than 600,000 people in Taiz city, including over 200,000 women and children, are now beyond its reach.

Taiz faces particularly severe food insecurity, with 10 of its 16 districts previously classified at emergency levels. Wheat flour stocks are nearly exhausted, while remaining market supplies could run out soon, WFP warned, calling the situation "alarming".