Middle East conflict flares on more fronts

The Middle East conflict flared on multiple fronts on Wednesday as indirect talks between the United States and Iran remained deadlocked. Meanwhile, Israelis mourned on the anniversary of the Oct 7 attack as Palestinians live in devastated Gaza.

Yemen's Houthi militia struck Aden's international airport with ballistic missiles and drones amid intensified combat on Wednesday. The escalation came after Yemeni government forces, with Saudi-led coalition air support, launched a counteroffensive this week to capture the Red Sea coast around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait shipping route and the city of Mocha.

Yemen's Transport Ministry said in a statement on X that two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones targeted the runway and passenger terminal, with one missile striking near the runway only minutes before Yemenia Airways flight 603 from Cairo was due to land.

Aden International Airport is the main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control. The Houthis offered no immediate response to the attack.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. It added that it was tracking the missile's launch site in Houthi-held Sanaa and planned to destroy the platform, though it released no information on casualties or property damage.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with multiple drones. Saudi authorities have not yet confirmed the airport attack.

Yemen's conflict began in late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the north. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government, now based in Aden.

Seven months into the broader regional conflict, major powers remain locked in stalemate. Qatar, acting as mediator, said the US and Iran continued indirect negotiations to end their conflict, whose fallout has rippled across the wider Middle East.

Despite a ceasefire in April, a June memorandum of understanding and talks at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Washington and Tehran remain sharply divided over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier that talks with the US were "meaningless" and only preceded renewed military strikes.

US Vice-President JD Vance said in an interview published on Wednesday that Iran must meaningfully scale back its uranium enrichment capacity as a precondition for any war-ending agreement.

3 years on

In a parallel development, Israel launched new strikes in Gaza on Wednesday as it marked the third anniversary of the 2023 Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Palestinian officials reported two fatalities.

In southern Israel, families mourned at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that the militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel.

For Palestinians, the anniversary brings another day of misery and difficulties after an Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people.

The 2023 attack killed 1,200 Israelis and ignited a devastating conflict in Gaza. Palestinian health authorities said more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed as much of the enclave lies in ruins, and its 2 million residents endure catastrophic living conditions.

The anniversary came just 20 days ahead of Israel's first election since the attack, a vote that is viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long tenure in power.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn