Saudi Arabia's energy minister has pledged a "serious" response to the recent deadly attacks on the kingdom's airports and oil facilities by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement. Speaking at the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating,
“"The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious."
Recent Attacks
On Sunday, a Pakistani man was killed during an attack on a terminal at King Khalid International Airport in the capital. This incident followed a Houthi missile strike on another terminal that resulted in 13 fatalities and led to its closure. The Houthis claimed responsibility for these attacks, asserting they were retaliating against what they termed "brutal Saudi aggression" in regions they control in western Yemen.
In a related incident, the Houthi-run health ministry reported that a child was killed and six others injured due to a Saudi airstrike on a home in Sanaa on the same day.
Ongoing Conflict
The conflict in Yemen has been ongoing since 2014, when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa. The situation escalated in 2015 with the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition aiming to restore the government's authority. A fragile ceasefire that had been in place began to deteriorate in July, when the Houthis declared a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and initiated missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and vessels in the Red Sea.
