Saudi Minister Vows Firm Response After Deadly Houthi Airport Attacks

Saudi Arabia's energy minister declared on Monday that the nation had been tested and would deliver a "serious" reaction following a series of assaults by Yemen's Houthis on Riyadh's international airport that killed 18 people. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman told the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh: "The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious." Houthi attacks on Saturday killed 13 people and injured hundreds at King Khalid International Airport, marking the most deadly strike on Saudi territory in over ten years. The Houthis claimed the attacks were a reprisal for what they called "brutal Saudi aggression" against areas under their control in western Yemen. Earlier attacks on Wednesday and Thursday killed four people, and one more person died on Sunday. On Monday, operations at the large airport on Riyadh's outskirts continued to be halted. Saudi authorities released closed-circuit television footage of Saturday's attack, which showed Muslim pilgrims in religious clothing waiting in departure lounges before a sudden flash tore through the building and sent burning debris falling.