Iran updates: Trump admin prepares range of options to target Iran, including 'mother of all bombs,' sources say
Officials have prepared a range of options for the president to consider.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Despite a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries in June aimed at ending the war, talks broke down and the U.S. and Iran renewed strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint.
Across the region, fighting in Yemen between the Iranian-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces has intensified in recent weeks and the militia group has also launched strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Key Headlines
- Air defenses intercept several projectiles, Saudi Arabia says
- Trump admin prepares range of options to target Iran, including so-called 'mother of all bombs'
- France has begun deploying military assets in Saudi Arabia, says Foreign Ministry spokesman
- 5 killed and 16 injured in attack on Presidential Palace in Aden, Yemen health authority says
Saudi-led coalition forces say they intercepted missile fired toward Riyadh
Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen said Monday they intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh.
The statement on social media from Turki al-Maliki came after Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defense issued a security alert for Riyadh warning about a "potential danger," before updating that "the danger has passed."
Following the Turki al-Maliki statement, a Houthi military spokesperson said in a post on Telegram that the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, claiming that the strike was "accurate."
US warns Americans to use 'extreme caution' when using Saudi airports
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Monday warning Americans of possible travel disruptions, urging "extreme caution" when using Saudi airports, following attacks on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
"U.S. citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions," the alert stated. "We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport. Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia."
U.S. government employees in Saudi Arabia now also require special authorization to use any airport in the country, according to the alert.
At least 20 killed in week of attacks on Saudi airports, officials say
At least 20 people were killed in a series of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on airports in Saudi Arabia, the country's General Authority of Civil Aviation said.
Twenty people were killed and 356 were injured in attacks between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11, according to GACA. The attack on Oct. 10 at King Khalid Airport was among the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, Reuters reported.
President Donald Trump told ABC News the U.S. "may" join Saudi strikes targeting the Houthis following the attacks.
Saudi aviation officials said they were tightening security following the attacks, which intensified over the weekend. The escalating threat from the Houthis prompted the closure of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and other airports as of Monday morning, officials said.
Schools across Saudi Arabia are also shifting to online classes for at least this week, according to sources in Saudi Arabia, including a diplomat who spoke with ABC News.
Two alerts were heard in the Saudi capital on Monday morning, the diplomat said.
-ABC News' Camilla Alcini, Nasser Atta and Zoe Magee
FAA warns airlines to exercise caution over Saudi Arabia
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning to U.S. airlines flying to or over Saudi Arabia, saying airlines should exercise caution due to “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activities and GNSS interference.”
“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival, and departure phases of flight,” the FAA notice to airmen (NOTAM) said.
The NOTAM is in place from now until Dec. 10.
FedEx flies to Riyadh, but no U.S. commercial airlines currently fly there. Delta was scheduled to launch an Atlanta-to-Riyadh route on Oct. 23, but Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that “safety is going to make the call” on whether they actually launch or not.
-ABC News' Clara McMichael