One Indian died and 10 were injured after Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport complex in Riyadh was attacked on Saturday (October 10). A total of 12 people have died in the attack, while over 300 are injured. This is the deadliest attack on any Gulf country since the Iran War broke out this February, when Iran responded to US and Israeli attacks by targeting civilian, energy and US military infrastructure across Gulf nations.The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that “Repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately.” On Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh expressed solidarity over the “dastardly” attack.The attack comes amid the intensifying conflict between the Saudis and the neighbouring Yemen’s Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition that is fighting the Houthis blamed them, while the Saudi civil aviation authorities said on Saturday that airport operations were suspended, the Associated Press reported.Those among the dead included a US citizen. US President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the US should join Saudi strikes against the rebels, saying on Saturday, “We may… We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.” He later said he would speak to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and said: “What happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable.”What has led to this escalation, and how may Saudi Arabia respond?To understand the events unfolding now, it is important to know the key players in Yemen, which has witnessed a civil war since 2014.First are the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, who see themselves as leading a Zaidi Shia religious and cultural revivalist movement against the Sunni rulers, who came to power in 1962. The Houthis emerged as political players in the ’90s.Story continues below this adAs The Indian Express earlier reported, the group’s worldview is articulated in its controversial slogan, the Sarkha: “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews, victory to Islam.” Its modern ideology borrows heavily from global anti-imperialist rhetoric and Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.In 2014, the civil war was triggered after a series of smaller conflicts with the ruling government. The Houthis took control of Yemen’s largest city and capital, Sanaa, and seized the presidential palace. This led to the intensified involvement of foreign powers — with the US and Saudi Arabia backing the government, and Iran backing the Houthis along the lines of the Shia-Sunni divide.While the UN-recognised government today (known as the Presidential Leadership Council or PLC) is backed by the Saudis, the Houthis have long maintained a presence in pockets, including the western coast that borders the Red Sea — a key waterway.The think tank Council on Foreign Relations stated that Yemen is also facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises due to the prolonged conflict. It cited UN estimates to state that 60% of the estimated 377,000 deaths in Yemen between 2015 and the beginning of 2022 were the result of indirect causes like food insecurity and lack of accessible health services.So what triggered the latest conflict?Story continues below this adThe Houthis have been active in the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Three days after the attack, they warned of involvement in response to the military action against Palestine. Along with Hamas and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah, they are counted among Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” that spreads across West Asia. They later attacked American and other Western ships in the region.Explained | Pakistan, Turkey ‘military forces’ to help Saudi Arabia: Why this may not mean troops in active combatThen they re-emerged as US and Israeli forces struck Iran this year, leveraging greater control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. This was a significant concern, as it could add to the vulnerability that shipping in the region has faced, when the Strait of Hormuz has come under strain due to the Iran War.Their resurgence this July was attributed to an incident in which the Saudi-backed government launched strikes on Sanaa to prevent an allegedly Iranian plane from landing there.Subsequently, the Houthis captured the key port of Mocha in Yemen. This led to a period of the Houthis hitting Saudi airports and oil infrastructure, while Saudi-backed groups in Yemen sought to challenge the Houthis. A major Saudi offensive has now been launched against the Houthis.What happens now?Story continues below this adThe conflict is complicated not only by the number of players within Yemen, but also by the foreign countries that could get involved.Various reports have stated that the Saudis have reached out to Trump, but the US has not yet made any commitments for military assistance. The longstanding Saudi-US relationship could be affected as a result.Expert explains | What the fresh Houthi offensive in Yemen means for Saudi ArabiaRegional officials told the AP that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defence support to the region. This, even as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact known as the Mecca Agreement this August. There is uncertainty around how countries might choose to activate it. Given the overlapping prolonged conflicts already besetting the region, no one country would want to risk an active role.Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister also spoke to his Omani counterpart about “supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions”. Across conflicts, Oman has played the role of a mediator in West Asia.Story continues below this adAnnelle Sheline, a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Arab Center in Washington DC, wrote that the Saudis could focus on directly dealing with the Houthis. Their options include reversing Houthi gains by partnering with the Yemeni government and renewing negotiations with the Houthis in preparation to withdraw from Yemen.“Currently, the Saudis appear to be pursuing the first option… the United Kingdom is refueling Saudi planes over Yemen. France has also announced that it will send troops to the Saudi city of Yanbu to help secure energy sites. Pakistan began sending troops last year, with between 30,000 and 40,000 reportedly deployed to Saudi Arabia, although not to the front lines in Yemen,” she wrote. At the same time, she noted, both conflict and negotiations would factor in the fact that the Houthis have grown stronger over time.