Saudi Arabia came under a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks on Monday, days after a deadly strike on the country’s main airports left its airspace largely quiet.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched drones and cruise missiles toward the kingdom. Several of the attacks were intercepted as they targeted critical oil and gas facilities.
The continuing strikes have prompted Saudi authorities to suspend operations at King Khalid International Airport through Oct. 17. The kingdom’s second-largest aviation hub is still dealing with the aftermath of weekend attacks that killed 14 people and wounded more than 300.
The assault represented an unprecedented attack on Saudi Arabia’s aviation infrastructure. Cancellations at airports across the kingdom reached 46% on Monday, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
The US Federal Aviation Administration separately advised American airlines to use caution when flying to or over parts of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman condemned the Houthi attacks and promised a response after the strikes disrupted this week’s World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh.
“The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious,” the prince said.
“We, as Saudis, are fearless, combatant and determined people,” he added. “We shall prove it to the world that whatever we are going through, we will overcome it.”
The attacks in Saudi Arabia, along with the wider threat to global oil supplies, prompted the United Arab Emirates to urge a renewed regional security and defense effort among Gulf nations.
“It has become clear that we are all targeted, and that our security is indivisible,” Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, said in response to the latest regional turmoil.
“There is a pressing need to revive joint Gulf action, particularly in its security and defense aspects, and to strengthen the collective security framework,” he added.
“Gulf security is a shared responsibility that brooks no leniency or delay.”
President Trump also indicated over the weekend that the United States could join Saudi Arabia in launching retaliatory strikes against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia now faces the difficult prospect of becoming involved again in Yemen’s protracted and bloody civil war. The conflict had remained largely frozen after a 2022 cease-fire before flaring again over the war in Iran.
With Post wires
