Middle East crisis live: Riyadh airport hit again as Houthis claim attacks, including strike that killed 12
A missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has resulted in casualties and challenged the US administration's diplomatic strategy in the Middle East. The incident complicates the political landscape ahead of upcoming midterm elections, forcing a re-evaluation of US policy toward Iran and the Houthi conflict.
Why it matters
Escalating violence in the Middle East directly impacts global oil markets and US foreign policy, potentially influencing domestic political outcomes.
The reckless missile attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on Saturday did not just export the death and misery inside Yemen to Saudi Arabia, it also left Donald Trump forced to reconsider his diplomatic and political strategy designed to take him into the midterm elections next month.
The US president’s plan had only been unveiled on Saturday.
It was to blame what he described as “a world problem” – spiralling diesel prices – on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his attacks on Russian oil refineries were the cause. He was going to keep the political temperature down on his war of choice in Iran and its spillover in Yemen until after the midterms.
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