Houthi attack kills two at Saudi airport as US pulls staff

Two people were killed and eight others were injured when Houthi forces attacked King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, last night. The dead were a Saudi citizen and an Indian national. The attack forced Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, to evacuate its headquarters nearby and helped push the oil price to a five-month high. The United States ordered all non-essential diplomatic staff to leave Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis said their armed forces had carried out four military operations in 48 hours using ballistic missiles and drones. They warned that the Saudi enemy's threat to target Yemeni tribes would not go without consequence. The attack follows a Houthi strike on Riyadh airport a few weeks ago that killed 13 people, described as the worst attack on the kingdom in a decade. Funerals were also held for 70 Yemenis killed after Houthi forces fired ballistic missiles on a military training camp, which the Houthis said was run by the Saudis, who invaded Yemen in 2015.

The Houthis are fighting for the city of Taiz, which is controlled by Yemen's Saudi-backed government. More coastal territory would make it easier for them to blockade Saudi oil shipments to Asia. They are using cheap drones and low-flying missiles that Saudi radar is struggling to detect.

Saudi Arabia's defences rely partly on US Patriot missiles, which cost about $3 million each and are not designed to counter drones that can cost as little as $15,000. Saudi Arabia wants more of them. The UK said this week it was sending Typhoon jets to defend the kingdom and shoot down Houthi missiles and drones. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Emmanuel Macron on a hastily arranged visit. Saudi Arabia spent about $80 billion on defence last year. The crown prince has postponed his usually glittering annual investment summit.

The Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait are among the world's most important maritime trade routes. Continued instability increases costs for British families and businesses and undermines security across the Middle East. The Houthis' main advantage is that they control territory, which gives them access to weaponry and smuggling routes and the ability to strike from multiple positions inside Yemen.