Saudi Arabia pressed ahead with a major gathering of global energy ministers and industry executives on Sunday, hours after an attack by Yemen's Houthis on Riyadh's international airport killed 12 people and injured 309.
The International Energy Forum's 17th ministerial meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia and co-hosted by Italy and Nigeria, is being held alongside the WPC Energy Congress, bringing together policymakers and industry leaders.
Media access to the ministerial meeting will be restricted, with only journalists invited directly by the IEF permitted to cover the opening remarks, according to a Saudi Energy Ministry spokeswoman.
“As you are aware, the ministerial plenary will be held behind closed doors,” she said. No live broadcast pool arrangements were in place, she added.
The event is proceeding despite mounting security concerns after repeated attacks on King Khalid International Airport, which have forced airlines to cancel flights and complicated travel arrangements for delegates.
Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Friday that he would participate in the IEF meeting by video link rather than travel to Riyadh.
The WPC Energy Congress, which runs from Sunday until Thursday, is also proceeding as scheduled. Organisers have directed delegates to alternative routes into the Saudi capital, including by road from Dammam on the kingdom's east coast. A projectile landed near King Fahd Airport in Dammam on Saturday, a representative for the Saudi coalition said.
Saturday's strike was the third on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport in a week and the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed four Saudis and eight foreign citizens, including one from the US.
Two attacks on the airport this week killed four people and caused extensive damage to a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac.
The latest strike caused widespread disruption to aviation, with about 260 flights cancelled and another 219 delayed on Saturday, according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.
The attacks have heightened security concerns, as Saudi Arabia seeks to maintain its calendar of high-profile international gatherings despite the war's growing regional spillover.
Riyadh is scheduled to host the Future Investment Initiative from October 26 to 29, with organisers saying the event will proceed as planned, with additional security arrangements put in place.
