Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed that 12 people were killed and another 309 were injured in a Houthi strike on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday. In addition to four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshi nationals, and one American, Syrian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Sudanese citizens lost their lives in the attack. The injured individuals are receiving medical assistance, GACA added. In addition, the authorities are still assessing the extent of damage inflicted during the attack. Significantly, it marks the first mass casualty event in Saudi Arabia since the resumption of full-scale hostilities with the Yemeni Houthis, amid region-wide tensions in the Middle East following the outbreak of the war in Iran.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Raise Risk of Wider War
This weekend’s deadly attacks on Riyadh’s main airport have demonstrated the ability of Yemen’s Houthis to strike at the heart of Saudi power, raising the risk of a dangerous escalation that could draw in the US.Saturday’s strike killed 12 people and wounded 309, while on Sunday the airport was hit again, this time by an unknown projectile, the fourth attack in a week. Saudi fighter jets are already backing a counteroffensive by Yemeni government forces after the Houthis seized territory near Bab el-Mandeb, a critical chokepoint for global shipping at the southern entrance to the Red sea. The Houthis had largely stayed on the sidelines after the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February. But the latest offensive illustrates how the group — a member of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance — has developed into its own autonomous fighting force, with its own sophisticated weapons supply chain and an ability to operate and escalate as they see fit, at times in coordination with the Islamic Republic. The attacks put de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under mounting pressure to escalate a war the country has spent years trying to escape, against an opponent that’s arguably more capable than it’s ever been. They also present difficult choices for the US and the kingdom’s new defense partners, Turkey and Pakistan, over how far to go in helping Saudi Arabia respond. “By escalating their attacks, they are trying to pressure Saudi Arabia into stepping back and halting its air campaign,” said Ahmed Nagi, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Yemen. “Riyadh sees these strikes as a serious escalation, particularly given their unprecedented nature, and is likely to respond with greater military pressure.” For Saudi Arabia, the Houthis’ success come at a challenging time. The kingdom is set to host a series of events aimed at pitching itself as one of the world’s most lucrative investment plays. That includes its flagship Future Investment Initiative, often dubbed Davos in the Desert, which draws Wall Street titans from Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon to BlackRock’s Larry Fink. Executives at top oil firms including BP and Shell pulled out of the World Petroleum Congress scheduled to start on Sunday, in a sign of how the attacks are already disrupting business in Riyadh.