Houthi missile strikes on Riyadh airport extend Saudi flight suspension

The strikes on Riyadh and Dammam

Houthi missiles struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, 10 October, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300, according to Saudi authorities as reported by Reuters. Other outlets gave a lower toll for the same attack: the Frankfurter Allgemeine reported 12 dead, and The New York Times said at least 12 people were killed.

The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility in a televised speech on Sunday, 11 October, and said the group had also struck the airport in Dammam and two facilities of Saudi Aramco. The Saudi civil aviation authority confirmed a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the same day and said damage assessments and safety inspections were under way. A second attack on the Riyadh airport on Sunday, 11 October, killed one person, a Pakistani resident according to the aviation authority, and injured 11 others.

Airport closure and air defences

King Khalid International Airport remained suspended on Monday, 12 October, while the Saudi civil aviation authority said work was under way to ensure 'safety and operational readiness'. The Guardian reported that the suspension of all flights was extended on Monday. Since September the Houthis had attacked fuel tanks at the Riyadh airport and affiliated warehouses, destroying a parked Airbus A320 passenger plane and damaging at least five other aircraft. An urgent review is examining how Houthi missiles keep penetrating Saudi air defences, and schoolchildren and some office workers were advised to work from home. The military coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted missiles and drones aimed at Saudi Arabia and promised a 'decisive' response. Saudi Arabia's military spokesperson also said further missile and drone threats had been detected.

Energy congress and investment risk

The 25th WPC Energy Conference began in Riyadh on 11 October and went ahead as planned, with Saudi officials hoping to project normality. According to the Financial Times, the chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell and BP were expected to attend but withdrew, as two people with knowledge of the matter told the newspaper. Speaking to the conference, Saudi energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman addressed the resilience of the kingdom's energy system and the determination of its people.

fear has no place in the Saudi lexicon

Reuters Breakingviews columnist George Hay wrote that the attacks threaten Saudi Arabia's 2030 target of $100 billion in annual inward investment and its diversification push. The Foreign Investment Initiative conference, which The New York Times said is due this month, had not been cancelled as of Monday, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine.

Iran's mediation offer

Iran offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, according to a statement posted by the Iranian minister's office. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi made the offer to his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in a telephone call on Sunday night, warning that insisting on a military approach would further complicate the situation. The Saudi government said the two ministers had spoken but made no reference to a mediation offer. RFI reported that Iran said it was deeply concerned about the situation and was willing to facilitate dialogue, without condemning the attacks. The crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen in public since 6 October, according to the Guardian.

Fighting in Yemen

The Houthis said they launched the attacks in retaliation for 'brutal Saudi aggression' against areas they control in western Yemen. Hostilities between the Houthis and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia resumed in July and intensified in September, according to RFI. Saudi-led forces struck the Sanaa airport after the Saturday attack, according to Houthi-affiliated media, and the Houthi-run health ministry said a child was killed in a strike on a residential building in Sanaa. The Saudi authorities have not commented on those claims. In Taiz, Saudi aircraft carried out eight separate strikes on Houthi forces, and as many as 60 fighters died on Sunday from both sides, the Guardian reported. The Saturday attack was the deadliest in Saudi territory in more than a decade, and the deadliest attack on a Persian Gulf country since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, The New York Times said.