RIYADH(National Times)- Saudi Arabia vowed a \u201cserious\u201d response after Houthi strikes turned Riyadh\u2019s international airport into a target, killing 18 people in under a week and leaving the world\u2019s biggest oil exporter facing its worst security crisis in more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnergy security can\u2019t be taken for granted,\u201d Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told an energy conference in Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe events of recent weeks are serious, our response must be equally serious. For Saudi Arabia, these circumstances have tested our infrastructure, our institutions, our people and our resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strikes have shaken the world\u2019s biggest oil exporter, which is pursuing an expensive economic reform programme intended to att\u00adract foreign investment. Oil prices rose above $105 a barrel on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yemen\u2019s civil war, in which a Saudi-led military coalition backs the government against the Houthis, has reignited months into the wider US-Iran conflict, which has roiled energy markets and plunged the Middle East into crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, Houthi strikes killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 at King Khalid International Airport, the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four people died in earlier attacks on Wed\u00adnes\u00adday and Thursday, and another was killed on Sunday, when Saudi Arabia\u2019s civil aviation authority said a fresh strike also wounded 11 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riyadh\u2019s airport was not the only one to suffer an attack as authorities said Dammam airport in the east was also struck on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One person had been killed and 11 wounded in a strike on Dammam airport. The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it had \u201cintercepted and destroyed\u201d a Houthi ballistic missile heading for Khamis Mushait, a southern city that is home to a major military base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also reported responding to drone and missile threats around Riyadh, where residents reported explosions and authorities warned of continuing security risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The coalition has called Saturday\u2019s attack a \u201cfull-fledged war crime\u201d and vowed to \u201crespond decisively\u201d. Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, said he was \u201cappalled by the repeated attacks\u201d on Saudi Arabia but urged both sides to back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US warned against joining strikes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Houthi official warned on Monday that the US would face a \u201cswift and painful response\u201d if it entered the war in Yemen. Donald Trump has said he is considering joining Saudi strikes against the group. \u201cIf the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,\u201d Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also warned \u201call employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The campaign, he said, was intended to show the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, \u201cthat he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump condemned Saturday\u2019s attack as \u201cnot acceptable\u201d and said he would speak to the crown prince about the possibility of joining strikes against the Houthis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fighting in Taiz<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere in Yemen, Houthi fighters have tightened their siege of Taiz, where more than 60 people were killed in 24 hours, military sources from both sides told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A military source loyal to the internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government said the Houthis had blocked all exits and launched several attacks overnight. The dead included 22 pro-government fighters and at least 40 Houthis, the sources said. The Houthis continued fighting despite Saudi airstrikes and were sending reinforcements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yemen\u2019s health ministry warned on Sunday of a \u201chumanitarian catastrophe\u201d in the city, where medicine, medical equipment and fuel were \u201con the verge of running out\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regional reaction<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran said it was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about the escalating attacks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and offered to help broker talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are deeply concerned about the developments taking place in the Arabian Peninsula,\u201d the foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, told a weekly news conference. Tehran was ready, he said, \u201cto use our good offices to help facilitate dialogue between the parties\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, called for stronger Gulf security cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is necessary to revive joint action by the Gulf countries, particularly in security and defence, and to strengthen the collective security system,\u201d he wrote on X, adding that shortcomings in regional security had encouraged further attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UAE, which has long been at odds with Saudi Arabia over Yemen, expressed its \u201cfull solidarity\u201d with the kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China also condemned the attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure. \u201cChina condemns the attacks that caused heavy casualties and expresses serious concern over the intensification of the conflict,\u201d said the foreign ministry spoke\u00adswoman, Mao Ning, who urged all parties to avoid escalation and resolve disputes through dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flights disrupted<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities have extended the closure of King Khalid international airport until Saturday, and airlines have cancelled flights after the repeated attacks. A notice to airmen showed the airport would stay closed until 2100 GMT on Oct 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flightradar24 showed aircraft avoiding Riyadh on Monday, although flights continued through Saudi airspace towards Jeddah. The aviation analytics firm Cirium said cancellations across Saudi airports had reached 46.4pc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Etihad Airways cancelled flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, while Gulf Air suspended services to Riyadh. Lufthansa and Air France-KLM also extended suspensions. Delta Air Lines postponed its planned Atlanta-Riyadh service, due to start on Oct 23, until March 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US aviation regulators urged airlines to exercise caution, and the American embassy warned citizens of security risks. \u201cThis level of sustained intense attack on civil aviation is unprecedented,\u201d said Mark Zee, the founder of the aviation safety organisation Opsgroup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RIYADH(National Times)- Saudi Arabia vowed a \u201cserious\u201d response after Houthi strikes turned Riyadh\u2019s international airport into a target, killing 18 people in under a week and leaving the world\u2019s biggest oil exporter facing its worst security crisis in more than a decade. \u201cEnergy security can\u2019t be taken for granted,\u201d Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n