Saudi energy minister vows serious response to Houthi attacks

Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile fired at Riyadh on Monday, hours after Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh that the kingdom's response to Houthi attacks must be equally serious to the attacks themselves.

Why it matters: A fresh missile aimed at the capital, a day after Houthi attacks on Riyadh's airport killed 14 people, keeps the prospect of wider Saudi strikes in Yemen live and the war disrupting Gulf energy flows close to escalation.

Data as of Monday, October 12, 2026. Minister's remarks via a single wire report, opened and read in full; the Monday interception is the Saudi-led coalition spokesman's statement via Arab News, opened and read in full, with Yonhap reporting three explosions heard in Riyadh. Casualty figures are Saudi authorities' account and the Houthi account of a Saudi strike on Sanaa is the Houthi-run health ministry's. Developing item.

Latest (Monday, October 12, afternoon): the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said its forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh on Monday, per coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki, reported by Arab News. Yonhap separately reported three explosions heard over the Saudi capital. No casualties from the intercepted missile were reported in either account.

Speaking at the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh on Monday, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said recent Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy facilities were serious and that the kingdom’s response must be equally serious. Saudi authorities said a Pakistani man was killed in a Sunday attack on a terminal at King Khalid International Airport, a day after a Houthi missile hit another terminal, killing 13 people and forcing its closure.

The Houthis said the airport attacks retaliated for Saudi operations in Yemen, and the Houthi-run health ministry said a child was killed in a Saudi air strike on a home in Sanaa on Sunday, claims that remain each side’s account pending independent confirmation.

Saudi energy minister vows serious response to Houthi attacks

Sources