NEW YORK, October 12. /TASS/. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is moving between heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
According to the newspaper, the crown prince last appeared in public on Tuesday, when he donated blood as part of a national donation drive. Since then, he has been shuttling between bunker-equipped palaces under heightened security. A handpicked security team personally selected by the crown prince is providing his protection, the newspaper reported, citing officials familiar with his movements.
Amid intensifying Houthi attacks, Saudi Arabia is searching worldwide for air defense systems and has asked its military ally Pakistan for help, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the kingdom’s deliberations. Riyadh is also seeking to recruit foreign fighters to support its Yemeni allies. At the same time, the kingdom is increasingly pursuing a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which otherwise appears difficult to contain, according to the report.
On October 10, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that at least 12 people were killed and 309 others injured in an attack on Riyadh Airport. On October 11, the authority reported another attack that left several people injured. On the same day, Ansar Allah acknowledged that it had carried out "four large-scale operations using ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones" over a 24-hour period.
Armed conflict between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has continued in Yemen since August 2014. In July, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, putting Red Sea shipping at risk, and subsequently attacked several Saudi-owned oil tankers. In early August, Ansar Allah launched an offensive in southwestern Yemen. On September 10-11, the movement took control of the port city of Mocha and other key positions along the coast, heightening the threat to Saudi oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. On October 4, Yemeni government forces announced the launch of a major military operation to retake territories held by the rebels.