[Anchor]
The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have blockaded the Red Sea and clashed with Saudi Arabia, have launched an attack as far as the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Amid a turning point toward a potential escalation, attention is drawn to Iran's announcement that it has conveyed conditions for peace negotiations to the United States.
Reporter Kim Young-a has the details.
[Reporter]
Thick black smoke continues to billow from afar.
The area near King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh came under attack by the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels.
A fuel tank caught fire, and flight operations were temporarily suspended.
The Houthis stated that they unleashed ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones on Riyadh and Yanbu over the course of two days from the night of September 18 to the morning of September 19.
[Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree / Houthi Military Spokesperson: We successfully struck sensitive facilities in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in the first wave, and Aramco facilities in Yanbu in the second.]
This is the first time the Houthis have attacked the Saudi capital since clashes escalated in earnest last July.
Following their swift capture of key strategic locations in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, including Mokha and Perim Island, they have now proceeded to attack the Saudi mainland.
Pakistan and Türkiye, which have joint defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, stated that they are prepared to provide military support.
However, the United States maintains its stance that there will be no offensive strikes against the Houthis.
As damages grow amid the offensive by the pro-Iranian Houthis, Iran announced that it has conveyed conditions for resuming peace negotiations to the United States.
The conditions include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian funds, and lifting the maritime blockade against Iran.
[Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf / Speaker of the Iranian Parliament: Our message and conditions have been explicitly conveyed to the other side through a mediator.]
An anonymous high-ranking Iranian official also stated that they received word through Qatar and Pakistan indicating that the United States is ready to engage in negotiations and reach an agreement.
The U.S. has not yet made any official remarks regarding this matter, but with President Trump scheduled to hold talks with mediators in the Middle East this week, attention is focused on whether a breakthrough can be made to resume peace negotiations.
[Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon]
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