Saudi warning system stayed silent before deadly airport attacks

A series of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Riyadh airport has killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300, according to Al-Monitor. CBS News reports that Saudi Arabia is vowing to respond to a pair of deadly attacks conducted by the group over the weekend. Following recent strikes, several powerful explosions also rattled Riyadh on a Monday night, as reported by the New Straits Times.

The New Straits Times notes that oil prices rose approximately two per cent following the additional strikes. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, acknowledged that the kingdom's infrastructure and resilience have been tested, stating at a conference that energy security cannot be taken for granted.

Al-Monitor reports that the Saudi government stopped issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before the strikes, though it has not stated why no alerts were provided. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the repeated attacks on airports, noting that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law, according to the Saudi Gazette. Kazakhstan has also strongly condemned the attacks on civilian infrastructure, per Ajel English.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, CBS News, New Straits Times, Ajel English, Saudi Gazette — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.