A column of black smoke near Riyadh airport, visible in the early hours of the morning, has marked another escalation in the conflict between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
A warehouse belonging to Saudi state oil company Aramco was hit overnight near the capital's airport. The area has great symbolic importance, as it is close to the heart of Saudi power and close to Riyadh, the city that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has turned into a showcase for his reforms.
The Saudi government has yet to comment officially, and there are no reports of major damage from international agencies based in Riyadh. However, the fact that the attack occurred near the Saudi capital makes the event particularly serious.
The attack comes after the strike on a military base in Taif, where Italian aircraft were also stationed. After this, the Houthis have reiterated that they do not seek to expand the war in the region and that their target remains Saudi Arabia.
"We are not at war with Italy and we do not want it to engage in hostile actions against our country or support aggression against our people," said Nasr al-Din Amer, a senior official of the Houthi media authority, Ansar Allah.
He added that the Houthis are currently at war with the "Saudi enemy," which they accuse of besieging and attacking Yemen for 12 years. But the warning to Rome was clear: "We wonder what Italian planes are doing in Saudi Arabia, in support of Riyadh's war against us."
In Italy, the presence of Italian aircraft in one of the most tense areas of the Gulf has sparked debate. The Italian Ministry of Defense has announced that it is considering new operational options to guarantee the security of Italian contingents in the region.
Meanwhile, uncertainty in the Middle East remains high. Iran, a close ally of the Houthis, has said it hopes for an end to the conflict between Yemeni rebels and the Saudis. Pakistan has mentioned the possibility of activating the mutual defense pact recently signed in Mecca with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
On the ground, fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has continued. The rebels claim that 48 people have been killed, but the toll cannot be independently verified.
The wider conflict between the United States and Iran is also weighing on the region. Tehran has announced that it has handed Qatar conditions for negotiations with Washington, which include a halt to attacks on all fronts, the unblocking of frozen assets and an end to the naval blockade. Now Iran awaits President Donald Trump's response. And the rest of the world is with him.
