Russian envoy says visit to Iran aimed at averting return to war

Residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city, received alert messages from authorities on Monday that warned of "a hostile aerial threat." AFP journalists received the alerts, too, which were sent to their phones, according to the outlet.

"A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh City to alert of a potential danger," Saudi Arabia's civil defense agency said in a statement on X. The agency also reported that the same warning had been issued for the nearby Kharj area.

A woman in her thirties living in northern Riyadh said she heard the sound of explosions, telling AFP: "we got used to this."

The warning, which often signals incoming Houthi attacks, was lifted shortly after the defense agency's announcement. But it came as attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have intensified in Saudi Arabia. Hours later, the Houthis claimed a series of missile and drone attacks on Riyadh's international airport and other targets across the kingdom over the past two days.

A major Saudi investment conference has been postponed to next year, its chief executive officer said on Monday, as the kingdom comes under repeated attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Maha Al Saud, the CEO of the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, said the event, which was scheduled to take place in Riyadh from Oct. 26 to 29, would instead happen in 2027 in a statement posted on X . She said organizers wanted to ensure the gathering's tenth anniversary edition delivered the "full scale" and "extraordinary quality" participants expected.

"This decision comes from a deep commitment to our partners, members, speakers and delegates," her statement said, adding: "A decade of partnership and shared vision deserves nothing less than our absolute best."

New conference dates will be announced soon, while current registrations and partnerships will remain valid, according to the statement.

For nearly a decade, the conference has served as a showcase for Saudi Arabia's efforts to attract global investors, business leaders and heads of state. The postponement dealt a blow to the kingdom's ambitions to draw foreign capital, diversify its oil-reliant economy and push its reform agenda.

Three sources familiar with the matter had earlier told AFP the conference would be postponed.

Egypt's parliament on Monday postponed its debate on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's request to authorize military support to Saudi Arabia, which has faced mounting attacks from Yemen's Houthis, Egyptian state media reported. The debate has been delayed until next week, according to the report.

"House Speaker Hisham Badawi has adjourned the second parliamentary session dedicated to discussing authorisation for taking necessary measures to support and assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with discussions set to resume on October 26," Egypt's state-run Al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

The postponement concluded a second day of parliamentary sessions in which Egyptian lawmakers weighed Sisi's request to approve support for Saudi Arabia, if requested by the kingdom.