Riyadh Airport Strikes Kill 18 Amid Warning System Silence

Four military strikes on Riyadh airport killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The attacks occurred while the Government of Saudi Arabia had ceased issuing public early warning alerts, despite having a system in place since May. The last public alert was issued on September 29 for Najran.

While the Saudi government provided no official explanation for the silence, officials from an allied Western government reported that the alerts were deemed too disruptive to citizens. Western embassies in Riyadh issued internal alerts to staff based on intelligence, though they received no warning before the deadliest strike on Saturday. The Saudi civil defence authority resumed issuing alerts for Riyadh and southern cities on Monday.

During the World Petroleum Council Energy Congress, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salaman maintained that the country remains safe. Despite these assurances, some oil executives declined to attend the event. The military operations against Saudi Arabia are being conducted by the Iran-aligned Houthis.