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Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has come under attack again, raising concerns over aviation security and escalating regional tensions.
The Houthis have not confirmed responsibility for Saturday's attack, but the group has threatened to target Saudi airports, excluding Medina, in retaliation for strikes on Yemen's Sanaa International Airport.
Nawaf Obaid, senior research fellow at King's College London and security and intelligence analyst, says attacks on airports and energy infrastructure are part of a strategy to project instability in Saudi Arabia and pressure the kingdom amid the ongoing conflict.
He argues that Saudi-led coalition strikes have significantly weakened Houthi military capabilities, while US intelligence and targeting assistance are already supporting Saudi operations.
Al Jazeera's Youssef Mawry reports from Sanaa that the Houthis have warned commercial airlines to avoid Saudi airports and have threatened to intensify attacks under their stated strategy of "airport for airport, blockade for blockade, and capital for capital."
The escalating conflict is disrupting flights, public events and economic activities in Saudi Arabia, raising questions about the sustainability of the military campaign and the risk of further regional escalation.
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#SaudiArabia #Riyadh #RiyadhAirport #KingKhalidInternationalAirport #Houthis #Yemen #Sanaa #SaudiAirportAttack #SaudiYemenConflict #MiddleEast #AlJazeeraEnglish
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<br>Alright, I watched the whole thing. Here's my take.
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<br>So the Houthis hit Riyadh's main airport. King Khalid International. The front door to the kingdom. And the analyst from King's College is on the line explaining that this is "expected," "not sustainable," and that Washington is "already helping where it matters" — which means geospatial targeting intelligence. Translation: the US is helping Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen, but not officially, and not with boots on the ground, because that would be a war crime, but the targeting data is fine.
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<br>The analyst says the Houthis are trying to "embarrass the kingdom" and "promote a narrative of instability." Buddy, they hit the airport. That's not a narrative. That's a missile. You don't need a narrative when you've got a hypersonic.
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<br>And the analysis is fascinating. The Houthis lost the port of Bab al-Mandab. Their southern coast is gone. They're under pressure on multiple fronts. So what do they do? They hit the one target that makes the kingdom look vulnerable — the airport. That's not strategy. That's a Hail Mary with a missile. And it's working, because airlines are cancelling flights, concerts are cancelled, the film festival is off, and the whole kingdom is on alert. You can't win a war with one airport, but you can make the other guy look like he's losing.
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<br>The American angle is the funniest part. Trump hasn't decided whether to "join" the strikes. Join? Buddy, you're already in. You're providing the targeting. You're flying the drones. You're the reason the Houthi missile depots are exploding. You're just not calling it a war. You're calling it "assistance." That's not a policy. That's a technicality.
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<br>And the Houthis are calling for airlines to avoid all Saudi airports except Medina. That's economic warfare. They can't beat the Saudi air force, so they'll scare the tourists away. It's asymmetrical. It's brutal. And it's working.
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<br>The bottom line: this is a war that nobody can win, being fought by people who can't afford to lose. The Houthis can't take Riyadh. The Saudis can't pacify Yemen. The Americans can't stop either one. And the people who pay the price are the ordinary Yemenis and Saudis who just want to go to work and not get blown up.
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<br>The analyst says the kingdom won't stop until the Houthis are "militarily degraded." That's the same thing they said ten years ago. And the Houthis are still there. Still firing missiles. Still hitting airports. Still calling for boycotts. The kingdom has the best air force money can buy and it can't stop a group of guys in sandals with Iranian rockets. That's not a stalemate. That's a humiliation with a defense budget.
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<br>Check the stove. Keep the loop open. And if somebody tells you this war is winnable, ask them which airport is next.
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<br>Ed's out. 🌹