Saudi Arabia probes air defence failures after deadly Houthi attack

Summarised from 8 outlets · 13 reports · Updated 13 Oct, 17:50 · Archive

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, killing at least 13 people in a strike on Riyadh airport.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched a sustained campaign of attacks on Saudi Arabia, with strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killing at least 13 people and wounding over 300 on Saturday and Sunday. The attacks mark the deadliest strike on the kingdom in more than a decade and have forced the closure of Riyadh airport, extended until Saturday.

Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into how its air defences failed to intercept the attack. Two regional officials said preliminary findings suggest the Houthis deployed several drones to bypass defences before launching a combination of cruise and ballistic missiles towards the airport. The missiles travelled more than 1,000 kilometres across the region. The inquiry is examining why detection networks failed to issue timely warnings. Houthi forces possess ballistic weaponry equipped with advanced warheads capable of altering trajectory during flight, creating significant challenges for Saudi Arabia's Patriot interceptors and associated defence networks.

The Saudi-led coalition stated it had intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh on Monday. At least three detonations echoed across the city on Monday night before civil defence authorities announced the immediate threat had passed. The Houthis later stated they had targeted King Khalid International Airport, issuing a warning to commercial airlines that all airports across Saudi Arabia, excluding those in Mecca and Medina, were unsafe.

The attacks have escalated tensions further. On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition ordered the evacuation of Yemen's Oil Company in Sanaa ahead of military strikes. The Houthis responded with warnings that strikes would be met with a "harsh and painful" response, threatening to target Saudi oil facilities including Aramco sites and King Khalid International Airport. Explosions were reported in Sanaa shortly after the coalition's evacuation order.

Saudi Arabia has also conducted air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, including on border regions, the Red Sea island of Kamaran, Qanawis north of Hodeida port, Jawf, and oil storage facilities at Ras Isa port and Hodeidah province. The Houthis claimed to have downed a Saudi drone over Saada.

The Houthis have also seized control of the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb strait on Yemen's Red Sea coast, allowing them to disrupt international shipping and further squeeze Saudi Arabia's oil exports. Saudi Arabia's image as a safe haven for investment and tourism has been damaged by the attacks. Experts warn that the escalation threatens Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, a national initiative to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil, at a time when the country is already grappling with the costs of its ambitious projects and pressure on oil revenues.

The conflict stems from Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen's civil war since 2015 to counter the Iran-backed Houthis. The escalation has intensified following the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February. CBS News reports that an American was killed in Saturday's attack on Riyadh airport. President Trump has so far declined U.S. military involvement, though he said on Sunday that the United States may join Saudi strikes and would "make a decision" quickly.

How it is being reported

• Saudi Arabia strikes strategic oil depots near Yemen capitalCivilians warned to evacuate outskirts of Sana’a ahead of biggest attack so far on Houthi energy infrastructure Saudi Arabia has launched a series of strikes on a strategic oil depot on the outskirts of Yemen’s capital Sana’a, in a fresh escalation of the conflict between Riyadh and the Iran-backed Houthi forces. Before the attack on Tuesday, a Saudi spokesperson warned civilians to leave the target area, in an apparent attempt to strike fear into the local population ahead of the biggest attack so far on Houthi energy infrastructure. Continue reading...The Guardian · 13 Oct, 18:26
• Trump sends warning to ‘not nice’ Houthis after deadly Saudi Arabia attacks, suggests Turkey could helpTrump is warning the Houthis against launching further deadly attacks against Saudi Arabia and suggesting that he may ask Turkey to help with the terror group.New York Post · 13 Oct, 17:49
• Why Saudi Arabia has struggled to defend itself against the Houthis' recent attacksSaudi Arabia has one of the world’s most expensive and sophisticated arsenals, filled with American warplanes, missile defenses and other technologyIndependent World · 13 Oct, 17:43
• Houthi attacks leave Trump with "a difficult dilemma"President Trump has so far declined to get the U.S. military embroiled in Yemen's civil war, but Iran's Houthi allies may force his hand.CBS News · 13 Oct, 17:39
• Saudi Arabia's military struggle against Houthi attacksHouthi attacks on airports and energy facilities are putting Saudi Arabia under pressure. Could a Saudi-led international military offensive succeed against the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen?DW News · 13 Oct, 17:11
• Houthis threaten Saudi Arabia’s Aramco facilities and airportsExplosions in Sanaa reported shortly after Saudi-led coalition's evacuation order as Houthis promise 'harsh' response.Al Jazeera · 13 Oct, 16:01
• Oil facility near Yemen capital Sanaa hit by Saudi Arabia, Houthis sayHouthi media reported an attack by Saudi Arabia on the Yemen Oil Company in Sanaa on Tuesday, which came shortly after the Saudi-led coalition ordered the evacuation of the facility ahead of a military operation. The Iran-backed rebels had warned that they would target Riyadh's airport and other sites in the country if Saudi Arabia followed through on its threat.France 24 · 13 Oct, 15:53
• The Saudi megaprojects at risk of collapse as war with Houthis escalatesSaudi Arabia’s image as a safe haven has been battered by Iranian and Houthi attacks. But could this threaten its much-touted Vision 2030? Alex Croft reportsIndependent World · 13 Oct, 15:29
• Houthis and Saudis strike each other in latest escalationFighting has continued between Iran-backed rebels and Saudi Arabia, adversely impacting the kingdom's economy and security. Still, Saudi officials have stopped warning of Houthi attacks in an effort to calm fears.DW News · 13 Oct, 12:56
• Iran reportedly fortifies nuclear sites as it prepares for possible U.S. strikes after midtermsA Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis – a Yemeni militant group backed by Tehran – said it had intercepted another attack on Riyadh.CNBC · 13 Oct, 12:53
• Why are Yemen’s Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia and how are they breaching its air defences?Washington has largely ignored the lingering disruption created by the Houthis around the Red Sea. But a wider conflict with Saudi Arabia could force them to intervene, writes James C. ReynoldsIndependent World · 13 Oct, 09:13
• Saudis investigate why defense systems failed to stop deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airportThe incident has exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia's defense system and signaled a dangerous inflection point in an expanding Mideast conflictIndependent World · 12 Oct, 21:59
• Why are Yemen’s Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia and how are they breaching its air defences?Washington has largely ignored the lingering disruption created by the Houthis around the Red Sea. But a wider conflict with Saudi Arabia could force them to intervene, writes James C. ReynoldsIndependent World · 12 Oct, 11:26

In this story: Saudi Arabia · Yemen · Houthis · Iran · Riyadh · King Khalid International Airport · Donald Trump · Mohammed bin Salman

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