Riyadh trapped - between war costs &
painful concessions: The Economist
October 12th, 3:59pm
(Al Mayadeen English)
Saudi Arabia's renewed war on Yemen, threatens its economic
ambitions and exposes military vulnerabilities, leaving Riyadh
facing prolonged conflict --- or costly concessions.
Saudi Arabia’s renewed war on Yemen is placing its economic
ambitions at risk, as attacks on airports and energy facilities
expose the kingdom’s vulnerabilities while its military
campaign struggles to achieve decisive gains,
The Economist reported.
The magazine’s assessment points to mounting pressure and
prolonged fighting could disrupt the investment and tourism
projects central to its development plans, and negotiations
with the Yemeni Armed Forces would likely require
significant concessions.
Despite years of Saudi-led military operations, the YAF continue to
control extensive areas of Yemen and retain the capacity to strike
strategic infrastructure inside the kingdom.
Renewed campaign faces uncertain objectives
Saudi Arabia’s latest offensive has yet to reverse all the territorial
gains made by the YAF in September, according to the report.
The movement advanced across much of Yemen’s southwestern
coastline last month, taking control of the port city of Mokha.
The YAF have also continued efforts to surround
Taiz, where opposing forces remain entrenched.
The renewed fighting follows the relative calm established by the 2022
ceasefire, which stabilized front lines without resolving the conflict
stemming from the Saudi-led war launched in 2015.
Saudi Arabia reneged on the truce by launching airstrikes on Sanaa
International Airport, in an attempt to prevent an Iranian aircraft
trying to break the more than a decade-long siege on the
country from landing.
People who recently met Saudi leaders told The Economist that
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was determined to
recover territory lost in September. However, the
campaign’s objectives beyond that
remain uncertain.
“Whether they have clear goals beyond that,
I don’t know,” one Western official said.
Investment plans face consequences of war
The escalation comes as Riyadh prepares to host the Future Investment
Initiative on October 26, an event intended to reinforce the kingdom’s
position as a destination for international capital.
Organizers said the gathering would proceed in an announcement
issued hours before the October 10 attack on Riyadh’s airport.
However, repeated strikes and flight cancellations have cast doubt
on attendance and access to the capital, the magazine reported.
Diverting visitors through other Saudi cities may offer limited
reassurance, with Dammam’s airport also targeted.
The report argued that sustained attacks on transport
and energy infrastructure could undermine Saudi
efforts to diversify its economy.
That exposure places pressure on Riyadh to resolve a conflict
in which its military advantages have failed to secure a
conclusive outcome.
Repeated strikes raise air-defense questions
According to The Economist, the October 10 attack on Riyadh’s
airport killed at least 13 people and wounded 309,
some critically.
Witnesses cited by the magazine said missiles struck Terminal 3,
which handles domestic flights, causing part of the roof to
collapse. The airport remained closed for more than 24
hours at the time of reporting, without a confirmed
reopening date.
A further attack on October 11 hit Terminal 4 and caused a fire.
The magazine also reported that an October 8 strike killed
three people and destroyed an aircraft belonging to a
Saudi state-owned carrier.
Despite the earlier attacks and widespread flight cancellations, Saudi
authorities had continued operating the airport, a decision the report
said was facing criticism in the capital.
The strikes have raised questions.... about the effectiveness of Saudi
Arabia’s US-made Patriot and THAAD systems. Although the reasons
for the failed interceptions remained unclear, the magazine noted
concerns over shrinking interceptor supplies following months
of regional warfare.
Foreign backing unlikely to secure decisive victory
Riyadh has sought additional support from its international partners,
invoking a mutual-defense agreement signed with Pakistan and
Turkey in August, according to the report.
Pakistan deployed several thousand troops while stating that it
would not participate in fighting inside Yemen. Britain sent an
aerial-refuelling aircraft, and France pledged personnel to
protect a major Saudi oil port on the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump had repeatedly rejected Saudi requests for
US airstrikes, although he suggested after the airport attack that he
could reconsider.
Nevertheless, The Economist assessed that such assistance was
unlikely to produce a decisive defeat of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
Negotiations would carry their own demands. The magazine suggested
that the YAF would seek economic benefits, an end to the Saudi
blockade of Yemen’s airspace, and other concessions.
The assessment leaves Riyadh confronting the unresolved consequences
of its war: continued military operations threaten the economic agenda it
seeks to advance, while a settlement would require concessions that
force has failed to avert.
Source: The Economist
_________________________________________
1 settler killed, 19 injured in munition
explosion near Lebanon border
October 12th, 2:51pm
(Al Mayadeen English)
Nineteen Israelis were injured in an explosion at Ras Ramim
near the Lebanon border, with Israeli media citing
suspected unexploded ordnance.
One Israeli teenager was killed, and 19 others were injured,
several critically, after an explosion in the Ras Ramim area
of the Upper al-Jalil near the Lebanon border, Israeli
media reported on Monday.
Channel 12 reported that one of those injured in the blast later
died from his wounds. The broadcaster said the explosion
occurred after a group of students and teachers on a
school trip stepped on remnants of war or an
unexploded shell.
Channel 14 reported that preliminary investigations indicated that
one of the students touched the explosive object and may have
placed it in his backpack before it detonated. Initial
assessments suggested the blast may have
involved a cluster bomb.
Meanwhile, Maariv reported that the incident was still ongoing, with
the occupation authorities continuing to evacuate other
participants from the site.
In a statement, the Israeli military spokesperson said an initial
investigation suggests that the explosion was “apparently
caused by a Hezbollah cluster bomb that had remained
in the area and detonated.” He added that search
operations and an investigation at the site
are ongoing.
Earlier, the Israeli news website Walla reported that the area
where the incident occurred had previously been declared
cleared of explosives by the Israeli military and police.
The incident comes days after the Israeli military announced
that an officer was killed and three other soldiers were
injured when a military vehicle overturned in
southern Lebanon.
'Israel' kills two Lebanese harvesting olives
Just yesterday, "Israel" killed two Lebanese trying
to harvest their olive trees in South Lebanon.
In Yater, in the Bint Jbeil district, Israeli artillery targeted the
town’s outskirts, killing a retired Lebanese soldier as he
inspected his land and olive harvest, the National
News Agency (NNA) reported, according to AFP.
In Froun, also in the Bint Jbeil district, an explosive object left
behind by Israeli operations detonated among people tending
their olive trees, killing an engineer, NNA reported.
Froun Mayor Hassan Bazzi told AFP that the engineer had come
from Beirut, where he lives, to take part in the harvest.
The fatal explosion prompted residents to suspend olive
harvesting until the Lebanese Army could clear the
village of explosive remnants, Bazzi said.
Ongoing Israeli aggression
"Israel" continues to violate the “ceasefire” agreement, with
its occupation forces carrying out demolition, destruction,
and land-clearing operations in southern Lebanese
villages, while launching artillery shelling and
airstrikes by warplanes and drones against
other areas.
Earlier today, Israeli artillery shelled the town of Kfar Tebnit
in the Nabatieh district, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in
southern Lebanon reported.
An invading Israeli unit also advanced toward al-Shmeis in
Kfar Chouba, southern Lebanon, while conducting a
machine-gun sweep in the area, our
correspondent added.
The Israeli aggression followed Israeli artillery shelling
on the outskirts of Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district.
The Israeli violations have persisted despite direct negotiations
between the Lebanese authorities and the Israeli occupation
entity over the past several months, which resulted in the
“framework agreement.”
Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli intensified aggression
against Lebanon since March 2, 2026, reached 4,387, with
12,424 people injured, as of October 11. The overall toll
since October 8, 2023, has risen to 8,954 killed and
30,660 injured.
Source: Israeli media
__________________________
Eight Palestinians, including a child, martyred
in Israeli attacks on Khan Younis, Jabalia
October 12th, 5:51am
(PressTV)
Eight Palestinians, including a child, were martyred in Israeli military
attacks on Khan Younis and Jabalia in the Gaza Strip, according to
media reports citing hospitals.
The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza said on Sunday that
21,976 children had been taken to hospitals after being killed during
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023.
Of these, 1,125 were infants under the age of one.
The office said 612 babies had been born and
subsequently killed during the aggression.
It added that while tens of thousands of schoolchildren had been
killed, another 650,000 children had been deprived of education.
According to the report, 62,247 children had been orphaned, losing one
or both parents. Of these, 2,774 had lost both their mother and father.
The office warned that 650,000 children in Gaza are currently at risk
of death due to hunger and malnutrition, including 40,000 infants.
It also reported that 164 children had died from hunger and
malnutrition, and another 25 had died due to cold weather.
The report also noted that 972 children in Gaza had suffered
disabilities, accounting for 18 percent of all recorded
disability cases in the territory.
According to the office, 5,200 children in Gaza require urgent
medical treatment, while another 5,803 are awaiting travel
abroad to receive medical care.
The report further warned that 2,432 children with diabetes
are at risk of death ---- due to shortages of insulin.
Meanwhile, 12,000 pregnant women... are at risk of a miscarriage
because of malnutrition and a lack of healthcare, the office said.
The report concluded that children, women and elderly people
accounted for 55 percent of those martyred during Israel’s
war on Gaza.
On January 1, Israel suspended more than three dozen international
aid agencies from accessing the besieged Palestinian territory.
Since the so-called ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10,
2025, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations, resulting in
the killing of over 1,000 Palestinians and injuring thousands of others.
Since the beginning of the devastating war on Gaza, more than 71,418
Palestinians have been killed, and over 171,318 have been wounded.
The assault caused widespread destruction, with approximately
90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure damaged.