Saudi Arabia has threatened a severe response to Houthi attacks on its territory as fighting between the two sides escalated with fresh drone and missile fire on Monday.
Both have been embroiled in a bitter civil war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia backing the country’s government and the Iran-aligned Houthis battling against them. A fragile ceasefire was agreed in 2022, but broke down in July this year against the backdrop of the Iran war.
On Saturday, the kingdom faced its worst attack in more than a decade, with at least 13 people killed in a Houthi attack on a major airport in Riyadh. At least 300 others were injured. Many are believed to have been pilgrims heading towards Mecca for pilgrimage.
Another attack on Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others.
Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the kingdom’s response would be “equally serious” considering the gravity of the attacks.
The attacks continued into Monday as the Saudi-led coalition backing government forces in Yemen said it was facing a new barrage of incoming drone and missile fire and reiterated that Riyadh airport would remain shut.
Skies over the capital were virtually empty as authorities extended the suspension of operations to the city’s second-busiest airport, King Khalid international airport, after Jeddah.
This was to “allow for the completion of procedures to ensure the safety and operational readiness of the airport's facilities”, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority.
Authorities cancelled 82 per cent of all flights from the airport, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, which added that the number could actually be higher.
Cirium added that cancellations across all Saudi airports reached 46.4 per cent, according to Reuters.
Lufthansa has cancelled all flights to Riyadh until Friday 16 October. Several top oil executives were dropped from the programme of the kingdom’s WPC Energy Conference, and the country’s flagship investment conference has been placed under pressure.
Energy Minister Salman said that the kingdom would stay focused on bringing in investment as part of its wider economic development goals.
Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said during Monday’s conference that the kingdom would stay focused on bringing in investment as part of its wider economic development goals.
“The development of our energy system and industrial capability continues,” he said.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude surged to near two-week highs above $106 a barrel on Monday as attacks overshadowed potential increases in market supply.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had not been seen in public since last Tuesday when he took part in an event to raise awareness about blood donation.
Since then, he has been shuttled between heavily guarded palaces that are equipped with bunkers, according to the publication, citing officials familiar with his movements.
He is also guarded by a handpicked security team amid the escalating security threats and with fighting heating up between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebel group.
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