The Breakfast Table

Earlier report · Published 10 Oct 2026

Yemen's War Reaches Saudi Arabia's Capital

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

An attack on Riyadh's main airport killed 12 people. President Trump says America may get involved.

Airports are supposed to be busy, ordinary places. On Saturday, the main airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was attacked. Saudi officials said 12 people were killed and 309 were hurt.

The likely attackers are the Houthis, a rebel group backed by Iran that has controlled the north of Yemen, Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour, since 2014. On Thursday they said they had fired a missile at the same airport, and warned airlines to stay out of Saudi skies.

Their attacks answer a new fight inside Yemen. Since October 4, Yemen's Saudi-backed government has been trying to take back Houthi land.

Asked whether America would join in, President Trump said, "We may. We're going to look at it."

Why it matters

Yemen's coast lines one of the world's busiest sea lanes. Ships carrying oil and goods between Asia and Europe squeeze through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait. With the Iran war closing another route, the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been sending its oil out this way. Fighting near the strait can make fuel and goods cost more far from Yemen.

Earlier report · Published 14 Oct 2026

Yemen's War Reaches Closer to the US

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

President Trump says he is thinking about joining Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.

Yemen is a country at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Its government is fighting a rebel group called the Houthis, who get help from Iran. Saudi Arabia, Yemen's neighbour, backs the government. Last week the war spilled over the border into Saudi Arabia.

On Saturday the Houthis struck the main airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital. Saudi Arabia says at least 12 people died and at least 309 were hurt. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one American. The airport is still shut. Saudi Arabia says it faced a new barrage of drones and missiles on Monday.

Now other countries may join in. President Trump says he is thinking about it. The Houthis say the United States would face a swift and painful answer. The Saudi side wants to push the Houthis away from Yemen's Red Sea coast. The UN says more than 217,000 people have been forced from their homes on that coast.

Why it matters

A wider war around the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait could draw in more countries.

Earlier report · Published 17 Oct 2026

Airports Become Targets in Yemen’s Widening War

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Saudi officials say attacks on airports from October 6 to 11 killed at least 20 people.

Saudi Arabia is in a fight with the Houthis, a group that controls Sanaa and parts of north-west Yemen. Yemen is the country just south of Saudi Arabia. A truce set up by the United Nations in 2022 mostly held for years. It has now collapsed.

The Houthi leader calls the attacks tit-for-tat. He says the policy is “airports for airports, ports for ports.” That came after Sanaa’s airport was hit. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government says that strike aimed to stop an Iranian plane from landing there.

Saudi aviation officials counted at least 20 deaths and 356 injuries at airports between October 6 and 11. The worst strike hit Riyadh’s main airport on October 10 and killed at least 12 people. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it stopped a missile fired toward Riyadh.

Why it matters

When airports are hit, families, workers and aid flights far from the fighting are affected.

Earlier report · Published 20 Oct 2026

Houthi Attacks Push Oil Above $109 a Barrel

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

Saudi Arabia has put off a big investor conference until 2027.

The Houthis, a group from Yemen, are still attacking Saudi Arabia, the country just north of Yemen. On October 10 a strike hit the main airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Saudi Arabia says at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded.

The fighting is now reaching the oil market. Saudi Arabia is a giant oil producer. After the Houthis claimed new attacks on Saudi airports and sites of the oil company Aramco, Brent crude rose above $109 a barrel. Brent is the price traders use to compare oil. UK maritime monitors also said two tankers were attacked off the Saudi coast on Friday.

Daily life and business are changing too. The Kingdom Centre, a famous office tower in Riyadh, ordered its office staff to work from home. On Monday Saudi Arabia postponed a large investor conference, due on October 26 to 29, until 2027.

Why it matters

Saudi oil is sold all over the world. When it is at risk, the price of fuel can rise in places far from the fighting.

Earlier report · Published 24 Oct 2026

Oil Jumps Above $114 as Attacks on Saudi Arabia Go On

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

A giant oil company moves its workers out of its headquarters.

Oil is a fuel that ships carry all around the world. Its price is quoted per barrel. On Friday, Brent crude, a main world price, rose to about $114.50 a barrel. Later in the day it reached $117.20.

The price rose after more attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, a group in Yemen, said they hit the defence ministry in Riyadh, airports at Dammam and Abha, and an oil site at Yanbu. These are the Houthis' own claims. Two people died in attacks at Dammam airport.

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's oil company, then moved people out of its headquarters in Dhahran. It was the first such move since the war with Iran began. Oil was on track to rise for a third week in a row.

Why it matters

Saudi Arabia sells oil to the whole world. When its supply is at risk, fuel prices can rise far away.

Earlier report · Published 27 Oct 2026

Houthis Say They Hit Saudi Oil Pumping Stations

The Breakfast Table · Ages 9–11

The group also says it attacked Riyadh's airport again, a day after two terminals reopened.

The East-West pipeline is about 1,200 kilometres long and carries Saudi crude oil across the country. On Monday the Houthis, an armed group in Yemen, said they had attacked its pumping stations and the airport in Riyadh, the capital. Saudi Arabia did not confirm the attacks.

The pipeline matters because the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea lane that ships normally use to leave the Gulf, has been largely shut by the war. That makes the pipeline an important way for oil to leave.

What does this mean at home? In the United States, the average price of a gallon of petrol was $4.28 on Sunday, according to the motoring group AAA. Oil prices eased on Monday after rising close to a six-month high last week.

Why it matters

Oil from the Gulf fuels cars, planes and ships everywhere, so a threat to one pipeline can change what families pay far away.