"Airports are targets," say the Houthis

A missile attack on the international airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded more than 300. Saudi officials blame Yemen's Houthis for the attack, but the Houthis have not officially claimed responsibility. France 24 writes that it is the deadliest attack on the kingdom in the past decade.

A day later the Houthis issued a new warning. Military spokesman Yahya Saree called on airlines, shipping companies, staff and passengers on X to avoid Saudi airports and airspace. He exempted only Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities of Islam.

"Airports and airspace are exposed to attack and are targets for our forces." (translated)

Saree added that the Houthis insist on the principle of "airport for airport, siege for siege, escalation for escalation." In his view, Saudi Arabia is to blame for failing to intercept the missiles. Riyadh has been asking the US and other Western allies for more anti-missile interceptors for weeks.

King Khalid Airport in Riyadh is closed after the attack, according to Flightradar24 at least until 9 pm on Sunday. DW stresses that there are no military facilities at this airport. Several airlines, including Air India, Flydubai, the Lufthansa group and Pakistan International Airlines, had already temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh and other Saudi cities.

Trump: maybe

US President Donald Trump called the attack unacceptable. Reporters asked him whether the US would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.

"Maybe. We'll take a look. We only found out about the attack just now, so we'll decide. We're working very fast." (translated)

An American citizen is among the dead. So far Washington has promised Riyadh only intelligence and help choosing targets, not aircraft. Among the reasons for its restraint, the Guardian lists empty ammunition stockpiles because of the war with Iran, the congressional elections next month, and support for Trump, which has fallen from 41 to 37 percent.

Prices at the pump

The fight between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is a new front in the war with Iran. The Guardian writes that it is pushing oil and fuel prices up further around the world. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has rerouted its exports through the Red Sea because the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The Houthis, however, have seized islands in the Bab el-Mandeb strait and dug in along the Red Sea. In US states, petrol prices have jumped by 47 percent, according to the paper.

The Houthi health ministry claims that Saudi attacks over the past five weeks have killed 91 Yemenis, 60 percent of them women and children. The sources contain no independent confirmation of these claims.

The world condemns

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply shocked" and demanded that attacks on civilians stop immediately. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and called the attack a dangerous escalation. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called it a terrorist act. The EU has so far sent no direct military aid to Riyadh, though the Saudis have asked France and Germany directly for it. Britain has sent air defence and aerial refuelling aircraft since the end of September.

The Saudi-led coalition called the attack a "war crime" and threatened a decisive response.