On a Saturday in September 2026, Yemen's Houthi movement launched ballistic missiles and drones at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, with witnesses reporting smoke and flames near King Fahd International Airport. The strike represents one of the most audacious escalations in a years-long conflict that has repeatedly defied resolution, raising once again the ancient question of whether superior wealth and firepower can subdue a determined, asymmetric adversary. As Pakistan and Iran negotiated energy disputes in the same moment, the attack served as a reminder that the Middle East's fractures do n