Saudi Arabia Reopens Airport Amid Continued Houthi Attacks and Other Middle East Developments

Saudi Arabia has reopened its main airport to international flights, more than two weeks after deadly strikes by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels forced the facility to close. The kingdom said early Sunday that its forces had also intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone launched by the Houthis.

Meanwhile, a sweeping Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank displaced hundreds of Palestinians over the weekend and imposed significant restrictions on movement. The campaign followed a Friday attack in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.

The operation comes just days before Israel’s tense election on Tuesday, a vote widely viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s management of the wars and the country’s increasingly hard-right direction at home and abroad.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday. Read our full coverage here.

Riyadh reopens international airport as Houthi attacks continue

King Khalid International Airport said terminals 1 and 2 resumed operations on Sunday, handling both domestic and international flights.

The reopening was announced as the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continued launching missiles and drones toward the Saudi capital.

Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the country’s forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone fired by the Houthis early Sunday.

In early October, Houthi strikes hit a complex containing two other terminals, killing 17 people and injuring more than 330.

Riyadh airport had resumed limited domestic service the previous week.

Israeli military launches major West Bank operation before election

The Israeli military conducted a large-scale operation across the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and sharply limiting movement in the territory.

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The campaign was launched after an attack in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.

The operation unfolded in the final days before Israel’s election, the first since the Hamas-led attacks of 2023 and the wars that followed across the region.

The vote is widely seen as a judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during three years of war.

The Israeli military said early Sunday that most Palestinian workers holding permits would be barred from entering Israeli communities for work in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday. Several crossings will also stay closed until after Tuesday’s election.

Tens of thousands of Israelis abroad expected to return for pivotal election

The AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit that works to strengthen Israeli democracy, said tens of thousands of Israelis living overseas are expected to travel home to vote.

Israeli law generally requires citizens to cast their ballots in person inside the country, with limited exceptions for diplomats and certain official emissaries serving abroad.

Israel has more than 7.3 million registered voters, while opinion polls point to a closely contested race. Earlier elections have been decided by narrow margins. The impact of returning voters remains uncertain, but many liberal Israelis who oppose Netanyahu have moved abroad in recent years, indicating that some of those returning to vote may not support him.

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