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Riyadh's shield wears thin

Saudi Arabia short on Patriot interceptors after Houthi strikes on Riyadh

Saudi officials say the kingdom's interceptor stocks are dwindling after Iran-backed Houthi missiles hit Riyadh's main airport on consecutive days, killing at least 12 people.

Bin Salman

Saudi Arabia's stock of Patriot interceptors is running short, Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal. The warning follows two consecutive days of Houthi missile fire on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, on Saturday and Sunday.

Reports give different death tolls for Saturday's strike. i24NEWS reported 13 killed and 309 wounded, a figure that rose by one after an Indian national died of his injuries.

The Associated Press put the toll at 12 dead and more than 300 injured. A Saudi statement listed the dead as four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, a Palestinian, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese national.

Moment of impact at King Khalid International Airport
Moment of impact at King Khalid International Airport

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, issued a warning on X:

"all airlines, shipping companies, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces."

Saree stated that airports in Mecca and Medina were exempt from the warning.

Houthis and Saudi Arabia
Houthis and Saudi Arabia (Photo: No credit, AI illustration)

The Journal also reported that the United States has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct assistance in reversing Houthi territorial gains in Yemen.

On October 2, the United States deployed two additional Patriot batteries to the Gulf. One battery went to Saudi Arabia to protect a major oil facility. The second went to Qatar to defend a natural gas installation.

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