New construction at Al Duwadimi points to possible push for longer-range missiles

Saudi Arabia seems to be expanding its missile capabilities as the Houthi barrages continue. An expansion to the Al Duwadimi missile complex west of Riyadh, captured on satellite imagery, likely aims to produce larger solid-fuel missiles that could fly farther or carry heavier payloads, Foreign Policy Research Institute researchers Sam Lair and Michael Duitsman told Reuters. The work appears to draw on Chinese technology, with Riyadh reportedly turning to Beijing to overcome US restrictions on longer-range systems exports.

New construction points to a production ramp-up. Satellite images show two new buildings at the facility that could expand output, possibly starting by year-end. Defense-intelligence firm Janes said the buildings may signal expanded production or work on longer-range missiles.

What the range buys Riyadh: Longer-range missiles would reshape the kingdom’s options. Lair said Saudi Arabia may already be producing the solid-fuel DF-15, and that the expansion is likely aimed at the longer-range DF-21 or a comparable system. The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Sascha Bruchmann said that reach would let the kingdom strike Iran directly, sparing its US-supplied F-15s from Iranian air defenses. CNA’s Decker Eveleth noted that the same build-out is underway across the region, including in the UAE and Turkey.

The defense pacts firm up

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia completed the ratification of their defense pact, while Turkey is still working through its legal procedures, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said over the weekend. He rejected talk of hidden clauses, saying the 16-article text matches the version released by Turkey’s parliament and that the pact is defensive. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan (the R4 Group) also met in Istanbul and condemned the Houthi escalation.

REMEMBER- Allied involvement will shape where this goes. Egypt’s parliament is voting this week on military support for Riyadh, the UK is deploying RAF Typhoons to help defend Saudi cities, and France has sent radar systems to Yanbu. Iran, for its part, plans to broker talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

The attacks keep coming

The Houthis, meanwhile, are giving Riyadh no respite. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said yesterday that the group had carried out seven operations using ballistic missiles and drones, targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh; King Fahd International Airport in Dammam; Najran International Airport; Aramco in Yanbu; the Rabigh oil refinery; crude oil pumping stations and a pipeline carrying crude oil from east to west; and Khamis Mushait Air Base. The group also said on 22 October that it had struck some of these targets, along with the Saudi Defence Ministry and Abha International Airport, over the previous 48 hours. Several of these sites had been targeted in previous weeks.

The Saudi-backed coalition said it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles, two aimed at Riyadh and one each at Taif, Yanbu, Khamis Mushait and Najran. It also said it downed 12 drones targeting the Eastern Province, Riyadh, Madinah, and the south. Saree put the coalition’s own activity on Friday at 124 strikes across northern Yemen, bringing the total to about 3k since the escalation began. The coalition, however, has stressed that these attacks don’t intend to harm civilians, dismissing Houthi claims that the kingdom is targeting tribal and civilian gatherings in Yemen.

Saudi aviation authorities are working to keep airports operational. Starting Sunday, national carriers at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will run domestic flights from Terminal 1 and international flights from Terminal 2. However, passengers are being urged to check booking and flight status with their airline before heading to the airport, and airlines must request permission before landing or taking off, as the Houthis still consider King Khalid International Airport a “military target.”

Evacuations? Aramco has evacuated its Dhahran headquarters and moved staff to remote work, its first such move since the escalation began, though it has not stated a reason, Reuters reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The US State Department has also ordered some diplomats and the families of government employees to leave Saudi Arabia, though spokesperson Tommy Pigott said there were no similar withdrawals elsewhere in the region.

ALSO- The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed last week’s attack on King Fahd International killed two people, a Saudi citizen and an Indian national, and injured eight.

Regionally, it’s about to get more complicated. The wider confrontation with Iran could resume soon after the 3 November US midterms. The US and Israeli militaries have reportedly drawn up strike plans — targeting Iran’s oil industry and nuclear sites — that Trump has yet to approve. Netanyahu ordered the IDF to hit Iran around 10 October before holding off until after the vote.