Explosions heard in Saudi capital and Riyadh airport, and other Mideast developments

Several explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Thursday, including one at the Riyadh airport that halted flights, a witness said. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed the blast came from one of their ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, Britain says it demoted its consulate in east Jerusalem to a mission and that 20 diplomats will leave the country, after Israel demanded its closure in response to the U.K. banning trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The consulate sign outside was removed.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.

Explosions are heard in the Saudi capital

A witness says several explosions were heard in Riyadh on Thursday, including a large blast at the city’s international airport.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed the new attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, saying a ballistic missile caused damage. They provided no evidence, and the Saudis had no immediate comment about the claim.

Fire and ambulance crews were deployed and smoke was visible, the witness said.

The witness said that outgoing flights were halted, and that passengers were instructed to evacuate the airport. It was not immediately clear how many flights were disrupted, but the witness said the terminal was crowded with passengers and that people were instructed to leave all checked-in luggage behind.

According to flight tracker Flightradar24, no planes have taken off or landed at Riyadh airport since shortly after noon.

The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

UK downgrades consulate in east Jerusalem after Israeli pressure

Britain said it had reached an agreement with Israel's government to downgrade its consulate in east Jerusalem, and a small team of diplomats will continue to operate in what will now be known as the U.K. Mission.

Israel's government said last month it would close the consulate in response to the United Kingdom banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement that the consulate had “ceased to function as a consulate.” He said 20 British diplomats will leave Israel, and that the building will continue to operate with seven diplomats engaged in limited activity.

“Israel will no longer turn its cheek to diplomatic attacks against it," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband denied the building will close. Miliband said the seven diplomats remaining at the U.K. Mission will continue to work with Palestinians, but gave no details. The U.K. said based on the current agreement, it would not take reciprocal action such as expelling Israeli diplomats from London.

A tanker is struck off the coast of Qatar

The British military said late Wednesday that several projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of Qatar, causing multiple casualties.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack took place in the Persian Gulf, north of Qatar’s city of Madinat ash Shamal. The city is on the northern tip of Qatar.

The U.K. military did not identify the tanker and did not provide any details about the casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and no comment from Qatar.

Former military secretary accuses Netanyahu of trying to alter records of Oct. 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former military secretary has accused the Israeli leader of altering official transcripts of phone calls from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.

The accusations by Maj. Gen. Avi Gil came in a wide-ranging interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper.

In excerpts of the interview published Thursday, Gil accused Netanyahu of attempting to change records of their phone calls in the first hour of the attack, possibly in an attempt to shift blame for failures that morning from the prime minister to his advisers.

The report comes as Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking reelection on Oct. 27. His Likud party told Israel Hayom that Gil's comments are part of an attempt to oust Netanyahu from power, the paper said.

The EU prepares a ‘support mission’ for Lebanon’s military

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday that the bloc is preparing a “support mission” to train and advise Lebanon’s army and security forces, though that won't replace U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon whose mandate expires at the end of the year.

Kallas said during a visit to Beirut that Lebanese authorities formally asked the EU for this. She added that she expects the mission to be set up by EU foreign ministers on Monday.

Lebanese officials have previously pushed to extend the mandate of the U.N. force known as UNIFIL, but extension seems unlikely to pass a vote at the U.N. Security Council.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

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