At least 18 people died and more than 300 were injured after a Houthi drone and missile strike targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to Reuters. The attack is part of an ongoing wave of strikes by the Yemeni movement that have also hit facilities belonging to Aramco, the world’s largest oil-exporting company, as reported by DW.
Riyadh Airport Strike Exposes Vulnerabilities
Authorities halted the public issuance of early-warning alerts via mobile phones and social media days before the attacks, and the strikes occurred without public warnings from the Saudi government according to Reuters. Two informed officials stated that representatives from an allied Western government questioned Saudi authorities about the suspension, and were told that the warnings caused severe disruption and that many citizens had complained about being woken up at night.
Michael Ratney, a former U.was ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Reuters that the kingdom was attempting to balance its messaging in order to prevent domestic unrest, but ultimately increased public anxiety. It seems that their approach to communicating with the public is a result of the dilemma they face: they need to respond to the Houthis, but they do not want that to lead to social unrest,
Ratney said, adding that withholding warnings creates the very anxiety they are trying to avoid.
Defense Spending Fails to Block Houthi Strikes
Saudi Arabia spent $83 billion on defense last year, placing it among the top ten military spenders globally, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute cited by CNN Arabic. Despite this, the country has struggled to protect critical infrastructure from advanced Houthi weaponry. The country maintains multi-layered air defenses, including US-made Patriot and THAAD systems, and fighter jets, alongside military hardware purchased from France and the United Kingdom.
Timothy Kaldas, deputy director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, told DW that the attacks threaten Saudi Arabia’s image as a safe destination for tourism and investment, directly challenging Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 economic diversification plans. The security concerns have already led to the absence of several major oil executives from the World Petroleum Conference in Riyadh, while the Future Investment Initiative allowed participants the option of attending remotely.
Riyadh Seeks International Security Partners
Reuters reported last month that the Saudi crown prince asked US President Donald Trump for support against the Houthis, though Washington’s assistance has remained limited to intelligence sharing and target identification. Meanwhile, France has begun implementing practical aspects of an agreement to help protect Saudi oil installations.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed support for measures taken by Riyadh to protect its security and stability. However, security expert Hossein Bayoumi told DW that sending Egyptian ground combat troops to Yemen is unlikely due to the risk of a long war of attrition and a lack of domestic Egyptian support, noting that Cairo draws a sharp line between defending Saudi security and participating in an open-ended war inside Yemen.
