Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the events that occurred in the past few weeks were severe, and that the Kingdom’s response must be equally severe, at a time when it was announced that the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh would be extended.
The attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday and Sunday, and the attack that occurred on Saturday resulted in the death of 13 people and the injury of more than 300 others.
In his speech during the opening of the World Petroleum Conference in Riyadh, the Saudi minister and son of King Salman explained that global energy is facing a real test, pointing out that Saudi Arabia is developing plans to maintain energy security before crises occur.
“There cannot be an energy future for all unless energy security is achieved for all,” according to the Saudi Minister of Energy.
The Ansar Allah group in Yemen (the Houthis) announced, on Monday, through its military spokesman, Yahya Sarie, that it had carried out four specific operations with a number of “ballistic and winged missiles and drones,” targeting King Khalid Airport in three stages since the evening of yesterday, which led to the disruption of navigation at the airport and its complete closure.
The statement indicated that operations were carried out targeting the Aramco gas station in the Eastern Province, an Aramco plant in the Eastern Province, and King Fahd Airport in Dammam.
On Sunday, the US Federal Aviation Administration asked US airlines to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, citing security threats related to ongoing military activities and interference in navigation systems.
The FAA notice, which is in effect until December 10, comes in the wake of the attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday and Sunday.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday, killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.
The administration said: “These threats may pose a potential danger to aircraft at all altitudes, including while flying over Saudi airspace, and during the arrival and departure stages,” warning of “a potentially dangerous situation.”
The notice also applies to operators of aircraft registered in the United States.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was supposed to continue to be closed to flights until 21:00 Monday evening GMT, but the General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia announced the extension of the suspension of operational operations at the airport without specifying the end date of the suspension.
The Authority attributed the extension to “completion of the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the airport facilities and their operational readiness.”
The American company Delta Airlines is scheduled to begin direct flights to Riyadh from Atlanta on October 23.
Advisor to the Emirati President, Anwar Gargash, on Monday called on the Arab Gulf states to strengthen their collective security system, after Saudi Arabia was exposed to continuous attacks launched by the Ansar Allah group in Yemen.
Gargash wrote on the Targeting the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states.”
He stressed "the necessity of reviving joint Gulf action, especially in its security and defense aspects, and strengthening the collective security system." It is the dimension that witnessed gross negligence, which encouraged others to attack us,” adding that “Gulf security is a shared responsibility that cannot tolerate complacency or postponement.”
The UAE, which in recent months has shown a difference in views with Saudi Arabia regarding foreign policy, especially regarding the Yemeni conflict, expressed its “full” solidarity with the Kingdom following the unprecedented attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, which left at least 13 dead and more than 300 wounded.
Iran, which supports the Ansar Allah group in Yemen, expressed on Monday its “deep concern” after strikes by the group on targets in Saudi Arabia.
