Houthi strikes expose gaps in Saudi air defenses despite $83B spending

Repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks, including a strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that killed 12 and wounded over 300, have exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia's air defenses. The kingdom spent about $83 billion on defense in 2025, roughly 6.5% of GDP, making it the world's eighth-largest military spender. Experts cite the difficulty of defending vast territory and multiple critical sites against sustained attacks.