A drone strike in Sudan's Blue Nile province has resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people, including children, according to the rights group Emergency Lawyers. The organization, which tracks the ongoing war, identified the Rapid Support Forces as the party responsible for the Friday strike in the Abu Shandi area. The paramilitary group has been engaged in active conflict against Sudan’s military since 2023.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed deep concern regarding the incident. According to the conflict monitor ACLED, the war in Sudan has claimed at least 150,000 lives, though aid organizations suggest the actual casualty count is likely higher.
Regional tensions persist elsewhere, with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels reporting that four strikes hit the Sanaa International Airport on Saturday. The Houthi media center accused Saudi Arabia of the attack without providing further details. These developments occur as Houthi forces continue to battle Yemeni government troops along the Red Sea coastline, supported by Saudi air cover.
In Saudi Arabia, two regional officials stated that Houthi rebel attacks on Riyadh’s international airport on Thursday resulted in damage to three aircraft.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. According to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, three Saudi citizens were killed and several others were wounded in the incident. Air traffic at the airport faced additional disruptions on Friday evening following another missile launch by the Houthis, which forced many flights to be diverted, according to the tracking platform Flightradar24.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated on Friday that coalition forces had destroyed 136 military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, aiming to dismantle the group's ballistic missile network. The Associated Press could not independently verify these claims.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, health officials at al-Shifa Hospital reported that an Israeli strike on Saturday killed four people in western Gaza City, while a separate strike in the city's east resulted in one death.
An Israeli military official confirmed that the strikes were intended to target militants. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that more than 1,480 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire.
In a positive development for international relations, the Lebanese presidency announced on Saturday that flight restrictions between Lebanon and the United States have been officially lifted. The ban had been in place since 1985, following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 during the Reagan administration. President Trump announced the decision in July during a visit by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and the order to lift the restrictions was issued nearly two weeks ago.
President Aoun welcomed the move, stating it reflects U.S. confidence in Lebanon’s efforts to enhance civil aviation safety. The announcement follows a period in which the Iran-backed group Hezbollah has been significantly weakened due to two wars with Israel over the past two years, during which many of the group’s key political and military leaders were killed.
