Riyadh Launches Investigation into Air Defense Failure Against Ansarallah Attacks / Goal Is to Understand Why Air Defense Systems Failed to Issue Timely Warnings Before Attacks / Advanced Ansarallah Warheads Can Change Course, Challenging Interceptors / US Also Refrains from Direct Strikes, as Ansarallah May Halt Transit Through Bab al-Mandab

Two regional officials announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation to determine why its air defenses failed to intercept a wave of missiles and drones fired by Ansarallah forces. The attacks, including one on Riyadh airport, left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured.

The Associated Press wrote: Two regional officials announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia has started an investigation to determine the cause of the country's air defense failure to intercept a wave of missiles and drones fired by Ansarullah's forces. Attacks that left at least 13 dead and more than 300 injured, including the attack on Riyadh airport.

The two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said that initial investigations show that Yemeni Ansarullah forces first fired several drones to pave the way for a combination of cruise and ballistic missiles to arrive at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

Ansarullah forces are equipped with ballistic missiles and advanced systems whose warheads can change direction during flight. This capability challenges Patriot interceptors and other defense systems used by Saudi Arabia.

One of these officials said that another goal of the investigation is to determine why the air defense systems failed to issue the necessary warning before the attack; An attack during which Ansarullah's missiles and drones traveled more than a thousand kilometers (620 miles) to reach Riyadh.

This incident, which is one of the series of attacks by Ansarullah forces on Saudi airports since last week, has revealed the vulnerabilities of this country's defense system and is a sign that the growing conflict in the Middle East is entering a dangerous stage. A conflict that started more than seven months ago, with the start of the American-Israeli war against Iran.

The Saudi-led coalition also announced that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh on Monday. At least three explosions were heard in the city on Monday evening. Civil defense officials later announced that the danger had been eliminated.

Ansarullah forces later announced that they had targeted King Khalid Airport on Monday and warned international airlines that all Saudi airports, except those in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, were unsafe.

Saudi state media reported earlier on Monday that the country's military was dealing with a new attack involving drones and cruise missiles, but did not provide details.

"The events of recent weeks are serious," Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday at the World Petroleum Energy Congress in Riyadh. "Our response should be equally serious."

The Saudi government's Center for International Communications, which oversees foreign media activity, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation into the country's defense failure.

Saudi officials want more help from the US to counter the attacks of the Houthis

Saudi Arabia wants America to participate more directly in the country's battle with the Houthis. So far, Washington has assisted the Saudi leadership in exchanging intelligence, identifying targets and planning offensive operations, but has refrained from launching direct attacks against the Houthis.

American intervention may force Ansarullah forces to try to stop shipping in the Bab al-Mandab strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea and near the coast of Yemen; An action that will limit the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf.

The flow of Middle Eastern oil has been disrupted in the past due to Iran's efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz; The strait through which about one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the start of the US-Iran war.

The Houthis captured key areas along the Bab al-Mandab Strait last month. The Saudi-led coalition, which supports forces aligned with Yemen's recognized government, has been trying to regain control of these areas.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday, after the deadly attack on the Riyadh airport, that he is considering the possibility of US military strikes against the Houthis.

On Monday, Trump said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but did not provide details of the call. He also said that the Houthis "behave very badly", but did not elaborate on whether the US would respond to the group's actions or not.

Asked on Monday whether the United States would defend Saudi Arabia after the Houthi attacks, Trump said: "You'll soon find out."

This conflict has occurred at a critical time for Trump; The US midterm elections are just weeks away, which will determine whether his Republican Party retains control of Congress.

Continuous inflation and the high price of gasoline, which have increased following the continuation of the war with Iran, have caused widespread dissatisfaction among Americans with this war. Expanding US military involvement in the region can further increase voter anger.

The Houthis say that Saudi Arabia has launched new attacks

The Yemeni Ministry of Health, under the control of Ansarullah, announced on Monday that airstrikes on a government complex and a house in Al-Jawf province, in northern Yemen, left nine [martyrs], including five children and a woman, and wounded seven others. The ambassador of Arjan, under the control of the Houthis, published this news.

Houthi officials also said that Saudi Arabia launched new attacks on Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, as a result of which one person was killed and 12 others were wounded.

Anis al-Asabhi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, said that since September 3, 107 Yemenis have been wounded in the attacks of the Saudi-led coalition [Shahid] and 278 people have been injured. According to him, more than 60% of the victims are women and children.

Riyadh Airport remained closed on Monday and employees of the capital's financial district were ordered to work from home.

However, Saudi Arabia held the second day of the World Petroleum Energy Congress on Monday as scheduled.

The Emirati diplomat called for a joint response of the Persian Gulf allies to the Houthi attacks

In a separate development, an Emirati diplomat on Monday called for "joint action by the Persian Gulf countries" to defend against attacks by Iran and its supporters.

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, said that Iran and its allies had mistakenly assumed that the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf were the "weakest link" in the American war against Iran; A war during which Tehran and its allies have repeatedly targeted the Arab countries across the Persian Gulf.

"It has become clear that we are all targeted and our security is unbreakable," he wrote on social media.

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed its concern about the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis and said that Tehran is ready to help resolve the differences.

Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said in his weekly press conference: "We are very concerned about the developments in the Arabian Peninsula. "We have repeatedly declared our readiness to use Jamila's efforts to facilitate dialogue between the two sides."

Baqaei said that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Sunday, but did not provide details of the call.