Yemeni Attacks Expose Saudi Arabia’s Military Vulnerabilities Despite Advanced Arms Purchases
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Saudi Arabia has made substantial financial commitments to acquire advanced military hardware, yet the efficacy of Yemen’s armed forces, particularly their successful operations targeting Riyadh’s airport, has starkly revealed the kingdom’s vulnerabilities. In one of the most intense attacks against Saudi Arabia in over a decade, Riyadh’s airport was targeted on Saturday, resulting in 13 fatalities and over 300 injuries. The incident prompted several countries to issue advisories to their citizens, urging them to avoid the airport.
Yemen’s persistent missile and drone attacks have undermined Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a stable nation, despite its considerable oil wealth. These assaults are placing significant strain on Saudi Arabia’s air defense systems and potentially depleting its stock of interceptor missiles, which are reportedly in short supply globally. Yemeni missiles have, on multiple occasions, penetrated Saudi defense systems during attacks on vital infrastructure, including oil facilities and Riyadh’s airport.
Andreas Krieg of the London-based risk consultancy MENA Analytics commented that even a multi-layered defense system comprising Patriot and THAAD missiles, fighter jets, and various sensors cannot establish an impenetrable dome over a country as vast as Saudi Arabia, which covers approximately 2.2 million square kilometers. He emphasized that the kingdom faces the continuous challenge of protecting Riyadh, airports, oil installations, military bases, and a wide array of critical infrastructure.
Krieg further noted that Saudi Arabia possesses limited domestic military industrial capacity, compelling it to incur heavy expenses for the import of advanced weaponry. Historically, the kingdom has relied extensively on foreign military personnel, contractors, and trainers to bolster its forces. His assessment highlighted that significant arms procurements from Western manufacturers, including American, British, and French companies, have become a cornerstone of Saudi defense policy and a diplomatic strategy to secure allied support. While Saudi defenses do intercept some of these attacks, Yemeni forces do not need to breach defense systems on every occasion to achieve their objectives. They require only a few successful hits, and the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s airport demonstrate that Yemeni forces retain their capability for sustained strategic-range assaults.
Thomas J. Juneau, a security analyst at the University of Ottawa, asserted that Yemen’s armed forces are aiming to alter the dynamics of the conflict. Following Saudi airstrikes on Sana’a airport, Yemeni armed forces seek to replicate the pressure Saudi Arabia has exerted on them. He stated that Yemen’s targeting of Saudi critical infrastructure conveys a message that the price of continued conflict is steadily escalating. For Saudi Arabia, this situation represents a comprehensive crisis, especially as the kingdom has been endeavoring to extricate itself from the Yemen war for several years.
Andreas Krieg also pointed out the significant importance of Riyadh’s airport, as it is a central pillar of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a plan spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims to transform Riyadh into a major hub for tourism, multinational corporations, and international events. While disruptions to the airport’s operations may not cripple Saudi military power, the sustained attacks impose economic and psychological costs that extend beyond immediate physical damages.
