“The word fear in the Saudi dictionary does not exist,” Saudi’s energy minister said Monday at a conference skipped by top oil executives, as back-to-back Houthi strikes on Riyadh’s airport threaten the kingdom’s economic ambitions.
“Efforts to project a business-as-usual calm look strained,” Semafor’s Saudi bureau chief wrote. Saudi’s push to attract foreign investment and tourism is facing setbacks, with limited travel options for its upcoming flagship business event: The main airport is closed, some governments advised against traveling there, and Delta delayed plans for nonstop service to Riyadh.
Saudi has poured money into global tech and AI projects, The Wall Street Journal noted, and how it responds to this crisis “will have consequences that stretch well beyond the kingdom.”