In brief
The Saudi energy minister warned that the attacks on Riyadh's airports and oil facilities by Yemen's Houthi movement would meet a "serious" response. A fatal strike on King Khalid International Airport killed a Pakistani man, while earlier missile blasts killed 13 and closed a terminal. The Houthis claim retaliation for Saudi aggression, citing blockades and earlier air strikes. Saudi Arabia vows to counter the attacks amid an ongoing war that has seen fluctuating conflict over Yemen's Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the kingdom's energy minister, pledged a "serious" reaction to the recent Houthi strikes on aviation hubs and oil & gas sites.
The attacks came after Saudi-led coalition forces intensified air support for Yemeni pro‑government troops. In late October, a Houthi missile killed thirteen people and forced the closure of a terminal at King Khalid International Airport, while a second strike the next day killed a Pakistani passenger.
The Houthis say the bombings were retaliation for what they view as Saudi aggression, including blockade measures against ports and airports they control in Yemen. The group also accuses Saudi forces of a deadly air strike on a household in Sanaa, a claim the Yemeni government disputes.
Saudi Arabia’s leader echoed the minister’s warning, adding that the kingdom would respond with an equally robust counter‑attack. The statement follows the broader context of a long‑standing conflict that escalated when the Houthis seized power in 2014 and the Saudi‑led coalition intervened in 2015 over an attempt to restore the previous government.
The unrest has disrupted shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and pushed global oil prices higher as Saudi ports sought alternative routes amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran‑Israel war. The latest attacks mark the latest escalation in a cycle of violence that has seen both sides launch missile and drone campaigns sometime now.
