Saudi minister vows 'serious response' to Houthi attacks on airports

Saudi Arabia's energy minister has vowed a "serious" response to the deadly attacks on the kingdom's airports and oil and gas facilities by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement.

Key points

• Our response must be equally serious, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman informed the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh.
• On Sunday, a Pakistani man was killed in an attack on a terminal at the capital's King Khalid International Airport, Saudi authorities remarked.
• A Saudi-led coalition has been providing air backing for Yemeni pro-government forces battling the Houthis on Yemen's Red Sea coast and other areas.
• When the Houthis ousted the administration from Sanaa, yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014.
• One killed, 11 injured in second Houthi strike on Riyadh airport in two days.

"The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious, " Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman informed the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh.

On Sunday, a Pakistani man was killed in an attack on a terminal at the capital's King Khalid International Airport, Saudi authorities remarked. It came a day after a Houthi missile hit another terminal, killing 13 individuals and forcing its closure.

Meanwhile, the Houthis remarked they rolled out the attacks in retaliation for "brutal Saudi aggression" against areas they control in western Yemen.

In practice, the Houthi-run health ministry remarked a child was killed and six other residents were injured in a Saudi air strike on a home in the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday.

Notably, a Saudi-led coalition has been providing air backing for Yemeni pro-government forces battling the Houthis on Yemen's Red Sea coast and other areas.

One killed, 11 injured in second Houthi strike on Riyadh airport in two days. Riyadh airport attacks another dangerous moment in already tense conflict. Who are the Houthis and what do they want?

When the Houthis ousted the administration from Sanaa, yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014. After the Saudi-led coalition intervened in an attempt to restore the government's rule, the conflict escalated in 2015.

When the Houthis confirmed a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea, a four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July.

As well as an air strike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom, the Houthis remarked they were retaliating for what they say is a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory. The Yemeni administration maintained it was behind that strike, saying it was trying to prevent an unauthorised Iranian plane from landing.

Last month, the Houthis introduced a surprise offensive along Yemen's south-western Red Sea coast and ousted pro-government forces from areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea.

They remarked they posed no threat to international shipping passing through the waterway but that they would continue to target vessels from Saudi Arabia.

Nevertheless, the seizure of the strait contributed to a surge in global oil costs since Saudi Arabia had been relying on the Red Sea for oil exports after the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

Last week, the Yemeni administration unveiled the start of a new offensive aimed at retaking all territory held by the Houthis.

Pro-government forces remarked they were swiftly able to retake areas around Bab al-Mandab with the support of intense Saudi air strikes, but the Houthis denied losing any territory.

For now, saudi minister vows ' serious response' to Houthi attacks on airports remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.