Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into how its air defences failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, two regional officials said on Monday.
The initial probe indicates that the Houthis first launched multiple drones before firing cruise and ballistic missiles towards the airport, the officials said. The investigation is also examining why Saudi air defence systems failed to provide an earlier warning of the attack, in which the projectiles travelled more than 1,000 kilometres to reach Riyadh.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly. Saudi Arabia’s government-run Centre for International Communication did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Houthis possess ballistic missiles and advanced systems with warheads capable of changing direction during flight, posing a challenge to Patriot interceptors and other Saudi defence systems.
Saudi state-run media reported on Monday that the military was responding to a fresh attack involving drones and cruise missiles, without providing further details. The Riyadh airport remained closed, while workers in the capital’s financial district were told to work from home.
Saudi officials are seeking more direct US involvement in countering Houthi attacks. Washington has provided intelligence sharing, target identification and planning support for a Saudi-led offensive but has so far refrained from directly carrying out strikes against the group.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was considering US attacks against the Houthis following the deadly airport strike.
However, greater US military involvement could prompt the Houthis to try to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, potentially restricting oil flows out of the Persian Gulf. The Houthis seized key areas along the strait last month, and a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has been trying to recapture them.
Oil shipments in the region have already been affected by Iranian efforts to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flowed before the US-Iran war began in late February.
The prospect of expanding US military involvement also comes weeks before the US midterm elections. Persistent inflation and high fuel prices linked to the conflict with Iran have fuelled widespread American disapproval of the war, and further intervention could add to public resentment.
Houthi officials said Saudi Arabia carried out fresh strikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Monday, killing one person and wounding 12.
The escalating conflict has added to concerns across the Gulf, already shaken by the US-Iran war. Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), called for “joint Gulf action” to defend regional countries against attacks by Iran and its allied groups.
Gargash said attacks on Saudi Arabia also threatened the security of the UAE and other Gulf states, adding that their security was indivisible.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the fighting and said Tehran was ready to help settle disputes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through diplomacy. Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud had spoken by phone on Sunday, without providing further details.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attacks showed that the US and its partners had yet to achieve deterrence in the war against Iran. He called for the Iranian regime to be crushed, saying there was no alternative.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday that the kingdom’s response to the recent events must be “equally serious”. Speaking at the opening of the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh, he said energy security and the energy transition must advance together.
China also condemned the Houthi attacks. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing opposed attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and urged the parties to avoid actions that could further escalate regional tensions, resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiations, and work towards peace and stability.
(With agency inputs from Reuters and AP via PTI)