Saudi Arabia humiliated by the Houthis - the country faces chaos

A series of Houthi missile attacks on Riyadh's international airport caused casualties, paralysed air traffic and called into question the effectiveness of Saudi air defences. According to Ynet, 13 people were killed and 309 wounded on 10 October; another person died the following day. 82% of flights from the capital were cancelled. An investigation is examining why the air defence systems failed.

Saudi Arabia has been plunged into a large-scale aviation crisis after a series of Houthi missile attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. According to Ynet, on Saturday, 10 October, a missile struck the area of terminals three and four, killing 13 people and wounding 309. The next day a new attack claimed one life and injured ten more. The airspace over the capital has been virtually emptied: as of Monday, 82% of flights from Riyadh had been cancelled, and 46.4% nationwide. A number of international airlines, including Air France, KLM and carriers in the Lufthansa group, cancelled flights. Particular attention is focused on the performance of Saudi air defences: a preliminary investigation points to a possible combined Houthi tactic - first a mass launch of drones to overload the defences, then strikes with cruise and ballistic missiles. It remains unclear why the warning systems did not provide timely detection of the threat. The consequences have affected more than aviation: employees in the financial district have been advised to work from home, and foreign executives are cancelling trips. Saudi Arabia is counting on more active US support, which so far is limited to intelligence. Direct intervention by Washington could provoke escalation, including intensified Houthi attacks on shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.