🖋Frank Gardner, BBC reporter on security affairs, and Jon Duncan, BBC reporter in Jerusalem

The attack on Saturday on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh marks another dangerous moment in a region that is already awash with tension and conflict.

Saudi Arabia was not prepared for an event like this.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi territory, but their attacks in the past few days have targeted vital infrastructure in the country, including the main airport of the capital, and appear to have easily bypassed Saudi Arabia’s air-defense systems.

Physical damage can be quickly repaired, but this country’s credibility as a safe and stable haven is crumbling.

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