Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia show the Yemeni rebels’ growing strength

The AP reports that the Houthis have repeatedly struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, leading to a wave of flight cancellations, and have also hit the headquarters of the national oil company, Aramco.[2] The agency says at least 19 people have been killed[2] and the disruption threatens the kingdom's plans to become a global hub for business, tourism and sports.Al Jazeera reports that an attack on Riyadh's airport on Saturday left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured.[3]The AP writes that the Saudis have struggled to counter the latest attacks, even with far superior U.S.-supplied arms.[1] It also reports that the Houthis can manufacture much of their weaponry domestically, and at a much lower cost than the state-of-the-art interceptors used by the Saudis.[1]According to the AP, a senior Saudi diplomat told reporters this week that Iran was encouraging the escalation[1]. The agency notes that Iran denies arming the Houthis[1].King's College London professor Andreas Krieg told NBC News that the Houthis have "learned how to oversaturate the radars."[4]Alhurra reports that the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council postponed a summit scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 24[5] because the Houthi attacks are continuing.NBC News reports that President Donald Trump said he is evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes on the Houthis but has not yet announced a decision.[4]