Saudi Arabia vows serious response after Houthi attacks on airports and energy sites

Saudi Arabia's energy minister has vowed a serious response after a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement hit airports and oil and gas facilities in the kingdom. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman said the recent events were serious and that the response must be equally serious, speaking at the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh. The remarks came after fresh strikes on King Khalid International Airport in the capital and earlier attacks that disrupted airport operations and caused deaths.

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Saudi authorities said a Pakistani man was killed on Sunday in an attack on a terminal at King Khalid International Airport. That strike came a day after a Houthi missile hit another terminal, killing 13 people and forcing its closure. The Houthis said they carried out the attacks in retaliation for what they described as brutal Saudi aggression against areas they control in western Yemen.

The group has also linked its actions to what it says is a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-held territory. The airport attacks have added to a wider pattern of escalation involving civilian infrastructure and energy assets. The Houthi-run health ministry said a child was killed and six other people were injured in a Saudi air strike on a home in Sanaa on Sunday.

A Saudi-led coalition has been providing air support for Yemeni pro-government forces fighting the Houthis on Yemen's Red Sea coast and in other areas. The latest violence has raised concern because it affects transport hubs and energy facilities that are central to daily life and regional trade. The attacks come against the backdrop of a long-running war in Yemen that began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa.

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The conflict escalated in 2015 after the Saudi-led coalition intervened to try to restore the government's rule. A four-year informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and started missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. That shift has widened the conflict beyond Yemen's front lines and into the wider regional security environment.

The latest strikes also follow a Houthi offensive along Yemen's south-western Red Sea coast last month, when the group ousted pro-government forces from areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis said they did not pose a threat to international shipping through the waterway, but said they would continue to target vessels from Saudi Arabia. Their statements and the Saudi response suggest the confrontation is now tied not only to the war in Yemen but also to control over strategic routes, airports and energy infrastructure.

What remains unclear is how far Saudi Arabia will go in its promised response and whether the latest attacks will trigger further escalation. It is also not clear whether the airport strikes will lead to longer-term disruption at King Khalid International Airport or other facilities. The next developments to watch are any military retaliation, further Houthi claims of responsibility, and whether diplomatic efforts can slow the deterioration of the ceasefire.

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