Sirens sound in Jeddah as projectile reportedly fired at city, flights halt

The strike comes days after a Houthi drone attack killed one person in Saudi Arabia and amid Omani-mediated truce talks.

Warning sirens sounded across Jeddah on Thursday and flights at Jeddah Airport were halted after a projectile was reportedly fired at the city.

The attack would mark a new geographic reach for the campaign against Saudi Arabia. Houthi forces have recently struck the city of Taif, and debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person in Saudi Arabia, the first death since fighting escalated.

The reported strike lands in the middle of mediation efforts. Saudi Arabia asked Oman to broker a two-week truce with Ansar Allah, the Houthi movement, with an agreement possibly announced by the end of the week. China has pressed Iran to rein in the Houthis after a Saudi appeal, Pakistan's army chief has urged Iran to persuade the group not to target Saudi energy facilities, and US officials have been holding separate talks with the Houthis in Oman over Red Sea shipping attacks.

Saudi Arabia is also working to restore its east-west pipeline, hit last week when three pump stations were attacked. The kingdom is moving to bring back about half of the pipeline's capacity within days, with full restoration expected in six weeks. That effort comes as the US has cleared a possible sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia worth up to $24.3 billion, which would make it the first Arab country approved to buy the aircraft. Thursday's attack marks an escalation in both frequency and geographic spread after days of repairs and diplomatic mediation. With Saudi Arabia still bringing pipeline capacity back online and traders pricing in a partial supply recovery, a renewed strike on a major population and logistics center suggests the threat to energy infrastructure remains active, and could interrupt the ramp-back sooner than expected, making near-term supply relief less certain.