Saudi Arabia Threatens Retaliation as Major Airlines Suspend Riyadh Flights Following Deadly Houthi Attack

Major international airlines have suspended flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital following a deadly airstrike on its airport. Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, KLM and Air India are among the airlines that announced a temporary halt of flights to Riyadh after a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh’s international airport left 13 people killed. President Trump, meanwhile, said he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman about the ongoing attacks, saying: “The Houthis are misbehaving very badly. They’re misbehaving very badly. No good.”Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, said the “serious” attacks in recent weeks must be met with an “equally serious” response from the Saudis. “We, as Saudis, are fearless, combatant and determined people. We shall prove it to the world that whatever we are going through we will overcome it,” he said. The minister also warned that energy security “can’t be taken for granted. For Saudi Arabia, these circumstances have tested our infrastructure, our institutions, our people, and our resilience. They have also tested decisions made long before present crises, because resilience is built before crises begin.”The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted three more ballistic missiles on Monday aimed at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, all of which were launched by the Houthis. Ahmed Kuzaie, a political analyst from Bahrain, told New York Sun that the Iran-backed Houthis are “routinely” targeting civilian infrastructure within Saudi Arabia as “a core instrument of its asymmetric warfare strategy, as an extended Iranian arm to weaken Saudi, the major U.S ally in the gulf.”“Utilizing a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones provided by Iranian supply networks, the group has focused much of its long range strike capability on critical economic and transit nodes across the Kingdom,” Mr. Kuzaie said. Some of the targets include vital energy infrastructure such as the major Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais, as well as cross country crude pipelines alongside commercial maritime ports, power plants, and water desalination facilities. “By striking these non military assets, the Houthis aim to inflict severe economic disruption, erode Saudi public sense of security, and leverage domestic pressure to compel the Saudi led coalition to halt military operations and lift blockades in Yemen,” the Bahraini political analyst said. According to him, the ongoing attacks may lead to an escalation of the war faster than expected: “That is before the Israeli and American elections (on October 27 and November 3 respectively.)

Saudi Arabia Threatens Retaliation as Major Airlines Suspend Riyadh Flights Following Deadly Houthi Attack

Saudi Arabia Threatens Retaliation as Major Airlines Suspend Riyadh Flights Following Deadly Houthi Attack

More from the New York Sun

Israeli Boy, 14, Killed and 24 Wounded When Unexploded Hezbollah Cluster Munition Detonates During School Hike

Trump Says He’s ‘Looking At’ Firing Ambassador to Greece, Don Jr.’s Ex, Kimberly Guilfoyle Following Damning Reports on Her Behavior

Harry and Meghan Frozen Out of King Charles’s Christmas, Skewered on ‘Saturday Night Live’ — and Book ‘Royal-Style’ Rollout

Barring ‘Cruel and Abusive Behavior’ Toward AI Chatbots Is an Attack on Human Dignity

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary Packs a Punch But Is More Retweet Than Revelation

Zelensky Credits Ukrainian Attacks on Data Centers With Reducing Bots on Social Media

‘UN’s Is At Lowest Point Since 1947,’ John Bolton Tells the Sun — Reflecting America’s Discontent With Global Institutions

More from the New York Sun

Israeli Boy, 14, Killed and 24 Wounded When Unexploded Hezbollah Cluster Munition Detonates During School Hike

Trump Says He’s ‘Looking At’ Firing Ambassador to Greece, Don Jr.’s Ex, Kimberly Guilfoyle Following Damning Reports on Her Behavior

Harry and Meghan Frozen Out of King Charles’s Christmas, Skewered on ‘Saturday Night Live’ — and Book ‘Royal-Style’ Rollout

Barring ‘Cruel and Abusive Behavior’ Toward AI Chatbots Is an Attack on Human Dignity

Golden State Seeks To Win WNBA Title in Just Its Second Season

Gibney’s Elon Musk Documentary Packs a Punch But Is More Retweet Than Revelation

Zelensky Credits Ukrainian Attacks on Data Centers With Reducing Bots on Social Media

‘UN’s Is At Lowest Point Since 1947,’ John Bolton Tells the Sun — Reflecting America’s Discontent With Global Institutions