Saudi Arabia told the UN Security Council it would take all necessary measures to protect its territory and citizens as attacks on Saudi cities and infrastructure intensified. On Friday, Oct. 9, Abdulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the UN, said Riyadh wouldn't allow Yemen to become a staging ground for attacks against the Kingdom or threats to shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
Airport attacks and civilian deaths
Alwasil spoke a day after two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed three Saudi nationals, including Saudia pilot Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, and injured several others. The strikes targeted airport facilities and an aircraft belonging to the national carrier, damaging the airport and disrupting flights, according to the report.
He called the attacks a "blatant act of aggression." Strikes on civilian infrastructure, he said, threaten civilians and aviation security. Earlier attacks on Abha and Riyadh airports on Oct. 6 and 7 killed three civilians and injured 36 others, according to Saudi aviation authorities.
Missiles and drones had targeted Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran in recent weeks, Alwasil told the Security Council. He cited a Sept. 15 attempt to target Makkah and a Sept. 29 attack on the Taiba electricity distribution station in Madinah, calling them provocations against Muslims worldwide.
The Saudi envoy also said attacks in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait threatened commercial shipping, energy supplies and international trade. Saudi Arabia called on the Security Council to enforce relevant resolutions, including those concerning the arms embargo on the Houthis and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
Saudi claims and political position
Alwasil accused the Houthis of rejecting diplomatic initiatives and choosing military escalation that had obstructed efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution. "Saudi Arabia has always placed peace above all other options," he said. "Nor can it accept that a terrorist militia impose its will on Yemen and the region by force."
He said external military and technical support had strengthened the Houthi militia's capabilities and undermined regional stability. That support, he said, contributed to "the perpetuation of chaos, the proliferation of weapons outside state control, and the undermining of security and stability in Yemen and the region."
Alwasil accused the Houthis of forcibly displacing civilians, using starvation as a weapon and recruiting children to fight. He warned that continued military escalation would deepen Yemenis' suffering and undermine a comprehensive political settlement. The report said the latest violence came amid renewed fighting, with Houthi forces advancing along parts of the Red Sea coast and Saudi-backed government forces launching counteroffensives.
Aid and calls for action
Alwasil reiterated Saudi support for Yemen's internationally recognized government and UN-led peace efforts. Any settlement, he said, must preserve Yemen's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. He urged the Security Council to act to stop Houthi attacks and prevent further threats to regional security and international navigation.
He also cited Saudi economic assistance to Yemen, including a budget support payment exceeding SR224 million ($59.7 million) on Oct. 4. Saudi economic and development support exceeded $12.6 billion between 2012 and 2026, Alwasil said, alongside more than $4.5 billion in humanitarian assistance.