Houthi strikes hit Saudi Arabia’s airports on Wednesday and Thursday, killing at least three people and damaging at least one commercial aircraft, as US President Donald Trump ruled out an attack on Iran before the November midterm elections. On Thursday, video shared on social media showed at least two drones hitting Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, while regional officials told Middle East Eye a Saudi commercial aircraft had sustained severe damage.
The airport attacks came as Saudi Arabia backed its Yemeni allies against the Houthis, who have received arms and training from Iran. The Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia blamed the group for attacks on the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina; the Houthis denied attacking them.
Iran and the regional threat
Trump said the United States wouldn’t attack Iran before the elections scheduled for November 3rd. “We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”
His statement followed reports from several news outlets, including Axios, described as close to Trump and his aides, that the Pentagon was preparing to resume high-intensity strikes on Iran. The Atlantic also reported that Trump was weighing an attack before the elections. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 4.5 percent on Thursday amid the reports and confirmation that Iran had attacked a new vessel in the Gulf.
One tanker was hit Wednesday off Qatar, about 500 kilometres west of the Strait of Hormuz. Another came under attack off Oman, outside the waterway. Direct fighting between the United States and Iran had largely subsided, while the two countries tussled over control of oil and gas flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The United States appeared to have the upper hand there.
Energy analytics firm Kpler reported that oil flows through Hormuz reached almost 90 percent of pre-war levels in late September. But refined petroleum product flows through the strait remained roughly half of pre-war levels, and Middle Eastern refineries weren’t operating at full capacity. US diesel prices had risen 14 percent over the previous month, to around $6 per gallon, as Trump headed into elections that would determine control of Congress.
Saudi Arabia’s defense and the Houthi campaign
The US-Israeli attack on Iran had expanded into a regional war centred on Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its allies were trying to roll back the Houthis after the group launched a sweeping offensive down the Red Sea coast the previous month. Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia activated a new joint defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan that week. Middle East Eye reported Turkey would send weapons systems, including air defence batteries, and troops to defend Saudi Arabia. Pakistan told CNN it was sending weapons to help protect the kingdom. Turkey and Pakistan sought closer ties with Saudi Arabia and aimed to demonstrate they could support a new regional security architecture amid growing doubts about the United States. They were also wary of becoming involved in a conflict with an Iranian ally positioned at an international trade chokepoint.
The United States had refused to become publicly involved in fighting the Houthis. The New York Times reported that Pakistani warplanes were flying over Yemen and striking Houthi targets. Islamabad denied the report, saying Pakistan was providing only defensive support to Saudi Arabia.
Attacks, claims and civilian consequences
The Houthis had drawn sympathy among some in the wider Arab and Muslim world for attacks on Israel that they said were in defence of besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks followed the Hamas-led assaults on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which sparked Israel’s assault on Gaza. More than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed in what the United Nations and genocide scholars have called a genocide. Qatar, Syria and Somalia were among regional states that condemned Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia was supporting Yemen’s “legitimate government” in its fight against the Houthis. “But this is a defensive agreement. When a country party to the pact comes under attack, you stand by it in its defence. This is not an offensive agreement. Turkey won’t send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory,” Fidan said.
The airport strikes also damaged Saudi Arabia’s image as an international business hub. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were hit hardest after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, while Saudi Arabia was relatively spared. Lufthansa said Thursday it would cancel all flights to Riyadh until 16 October.