Attacks on Riyadh's international airport killed 3 Saudi citizens, and other Mideast developments

Saudi Arabia's aviation authorities said Friday that attacks targeting the international airport in Riyadh and an aircraft there the previous day killed three Saudi citizens.

A U.N. human rights chief who chaired an investigation that determined Israel had committed genocide in Gaza won the Nobel Peace Prize, and residents of Yemen's capital reported explosions.

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

Thursday's attack on the Riyadh airport killed 3 people

The attack on an airport in the Saudi capital and an aircraft there killed three Saudi nationals and injured other people on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

Friday's statement from the authority did not identify those responsible for the attack, though Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen have claimed they targeted the airport with a ballistic missile.

According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the two strikes targeted the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudia Airlines aircraft.

Several people were injured, some seriously, and were transferred to a hospital for treatment, said the authority, adding that the attacks also caused material damage. It did not specify the types of weapons used or those responsible.

The authority said it was coordinating with security agencies to assess the damage and take measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers.

FlyDubai announced it was canceling flights to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Yanbu through Saturday and Abha through Sunday. Pakistan International Airlines also suspended flights to Riyadh.

Residents in Yemen's capital report explosions

In Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of Yemen, residents heard heavy explosions overnight and into Friday as intense fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces resumed.

In the downtown area, witnesses said they heard explosions, but their origin wasn’t clear.

The strikes were so powerful that the house shook and it felt as if the entire structure was collapsing, one Sanaa resident told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in fear of reprisals.

Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said on X that two of the overnight strikes on Sanaa injured six people, including a child.

The Houthis' military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed Thursday that airstrikes launched from bases in Saudi Arabia targeted multiple rebel-held areas for 24 hours, including in Sanaa and the provinces of Marib, Taiz, Hajjah, Saada, Lahj, Ibb and al-Baydaa.

He did not provide any evidence for the claim and the AP couldn’t independently verify Saree’s claims.

— By Fatma Khaled

A former UN human rights chief wins Nobel Peace Prize

The South African-born jurist and former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, who is currently an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Pillay chaired the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council. The commission a year ago concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry slammed the award and said on X: “If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner.”

Vessel reports strike off United Arab Emirates

A vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the British military said on Friday, causing a fire that it said had since been extinguished.

The attack took place 13 nautical miles west of Al-Jazeera in the UAE, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, which did not identify the vessel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and the status of the crew was not immediately known.

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed without providing evidence on Friday it had struck a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier attempting to use an illegal shipping route south of the Strait of Hormuz.

The British military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s claim.

Iranian president calls for increased cooperation

Speaking Friday at a regional summit in Turkmenistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for deeper regional cooperation and said countries should strengthen their resilience against war, crises and external pressure while avoiding competition aimed at excluding one another.