Seoul, Oct 12: North Korea on Monday fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said, adding to a recent streak of weapons demonstrations that has heightened tensions during a prolonged freeze in diplomacy.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area around the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where the country has used its airport as a major launch site in recent years. The joint chiefs did not immediately specify how many missiles they detected or how far they flew. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it detected at least two missiles and assessed that the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The launch came days after South Korea on Friday flight-tested its first domestically developed hypersonic weapon, designed to fly at least five times the speed of sound and evade missile defense systems, which President Lee Jae Myung described as an important step in strengthening the South’s conventional defense capabilities.

While maintaining a hard line toward Seoul, North Korea has been ramping up weapons testing as it seeks to expand its arsenal of nuclear-capable systems, including an October 3 test of what the North described as a hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to evade missile defenses in South Korea and Japan.

North Korea has also conducted other missile tests and live-fire drills and commissioned a new warship as leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his nuclear weapons program while rejecting U.S. and South Korean offers to resume long-stalled diplomacy.

Tensions were further worsened after three South Korean soldiers were injured in land mine explosions last month near the heavily armed inter-Korean border. The South’s military and the U.S.-led United Nations Command concluded the blasts were caused by devices planted by North Korea, which has denied responsibility and ridiculed the South’s demands for an apology.

Kim in recent years has halted all diplomacy and cooperation with South Korea and described the neighbor as a permanent enemy during a prolonged stalemate in larger nuclear negotiations with Washington. He has so far rebuffed US President Donald Trump’s calls to revive their diplomacy, which broke down in 2019, with his government demanding that Washington abandon its “hostile” policy toward Pyongyang and drop demands for North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition for talks.

The tensions have been a setback for Lee, who favours engagement with North Korea and has tempered his rhetoric toward the North even as public anger grows over the mine blasts. Lee has also called for strengthening South Korea’s conventional defense capabilities while reducing its reliance on the United States. Washington unilaterally decided to scale back a major military exercise with South Korea in August, with Trump citing his “very good relationship” with Kim.

New Delhi, Oct 11: At least 11 Indians were injured in the deadly attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300 others, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday.

In a statement on X, the Indian Embassy said it had been following up on Saturday’s attack, in which 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured.

“It is learnt that 11 Indians are among those injured in the attack. Embassy has been in touch with local authorities to enquire about their well being. Our officials have also reached out to the hospital authorities. We will provide further updates as they become available,” the embassy wrote in a statement on X.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strong condemnation of the repeated attacks on King Khalid International Airport over the past several days, including the October 10 strike.

“We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and damage to property. We express our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured persons,” the ministry said.

New Delhi also called for an immediate end to attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“The repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately,” the statement added.

India expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, emphasising its support for the kingdom’s sovereignty and its hope for a return to peace and normalcy in the region.

“We stand in solidarity with the people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in defence of their sovereignty, and hope that peace and normalcy returns to the region at the earliest,” the MEA said.

Meanwhile, the Houthis renewed warnings to airlines, travellers and airport workers, urging them to avoid Saudi airports and airspace following the deadly attack.

“We renew our warning to all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports in (the holy cities of) Mecca and Medina,” the group said in a post on X.

“We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions.” Saudi authorities have temporarily suspended airport operations while assessing the damage and safety conditions.