Saudi energy minister threatens response after Houthi attacks kill 14 at airports
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has vowed a “serious” response to Houthi attacks on airports and energy facilities, saying recent events have tested the kingdom’s infrastructure and resilience. The attacks have caused civilian deaths and disrupted airport operations, while widening tensions between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government forces.
A missile strike on Riyadh’s Terminal 3 on Saturday killed 13 people; a Pakistani resident was killed in a separate attack on Terminal 4 the following day. Saudi authorities said airports in Riyadh and Dammam were attacked, and the coalition reported intercepting a drone and a missile. The Houthis said their strikes were retaliation for Saudi air attacks in Yemen, claiming 124 strikes in the previous 24 hours; the article also reports a child killed in an air strike on a home in Sanaa.
- Saudi minister promises a serious response to Houthi attacks.
- Strikes on Riyadh airport killed 14 people across two days.
- Houthis cite Saudi air attacks in Yemen as retaliation.
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The Houthis are a military group fighting in Yemen's ongoing civil conflict, which has involved a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government against them for over a decade. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have repeatedly attacked each other's territories, with the Houthis using drones and missiles to strike deep into Saudi Arabia whilst the coalition conducts air strikes in Yemen.
This week, Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure resulted in civilian deaths and service disruptions. At least 14 people were killed in missile and drone strikes on Riyadh's airport terminals, whilst Saudi authorities reported intercepting some weapons.
These attacks represent an escalation in the long-running conflict and reflect deeper regional tensions. The Houthis say their strikes are retaliation for Saudi coalition air operations in Yemen, whilst Saudi Arabia views the attacks as a test of its security and has promised a significant response, potentially widening the conflict further.
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The case for
The Houthis argue their strikes represent a defensive response to a coalition conducting extensive military operations in Yemen, where airstrikes have caused significant civilian casualties. They claim the attacks target governmental and military infrastructure used in the conflict, and view themselves as resisting foreign military intervention in their country. From their perspective, attacking a nation's airports and energy infrastructure is a proportionate asymmetric response to sustained military campaigns that have inflicted considerable harm on Yemen's civilian population.
The case against
Saudi Arabia maintains that attacks on civilian airports and infrastructure constitute indiscriminate strikes that violate international humanitarian law by deliberately targeting non-combatants and essential civilian services. The kingdom argues it has the right to defend its citizens from attacks that kill innocent travellers and workers, and that a distinction must be drawn between military targets and civilian areas under the laws of armed conflict. The measured nature of the response—intercepting weapons and targeting the source of attacks—represents legitimate national security action proportionate to threats against its population.
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Originally published by BBC World as “Saudi minister vows ‘serious response’ to Houthi attacks on airports”.