As missiles hit Saudi Arabia, residents insist life goes on — and the show does too
-
asserted
show → hit → Arabia
- Despite missile strikes that killed people, disrupted air travel and postponed major events, Riyadh Season opened with thousands attending concerts, comedy and attractions in the Saudi capital.
asserted
thousands → kill → capital
- Residents say daily life feels largely normal, but renewed Houthi attacks and the Iran war are weighing on the kingdom.
asserted
attacks → say → kingdom
- Government messaging which once touted economic and cultural development, promotes patriotic themes.
asserted
which → tout → themes
The lineup was announced months ago, with top-flight stars in tennis, DJing, comedy and more set to descend on the Saudi capital for a 10-week run of events known as Riyadh Season.
asserted
stars → announce → Season
But after successive missile strikes hit Riyadh’s airport this month, killing more than a dozen people, shuttering parts of the country’s airspace and setting off a flurry of cancellations, many wondered if audiences would show up, or if there would be anything to show up for at all.
asserted
audiences → hit → cancellations
The answer to both questions came this past weekend, when crowds gathered for Riyadh Season’s opener at Boulevard City, a car-free district in the capital that’s part open-air mall, part amusement park and part entertainment venue.
asserted
that → come → capital
By the time sunset had turned to dusk, families were milling about a replica of Times Square.
asserted
families → turn → Square
Patrons assembled for a sold-out comedy play at one of two theaters, while others went to a 7,000-seat arena, where a famous Lebanese pop star was debuting his comeback tour.
asserted
star → assemble → tour
It too was sold out.
asserted
It → sell → ?
In normal times, October is when the convection-bake temperatures of Riyadh’s ferocious summer give way to a bearable, even pleasant heat, and the city hosts dozens of large-scale events aimed at showcasing Vision 2030, the kingdom’s all-out drive to transform itself into a sporting and entertainment powerhouse.
asserted
city → give → powerhouse
But between the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Riyadh’s escalating grudge match with the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels known as the Houthis, these are hardly normal times.
asserted
these → escalate → Houthis
For years, the war with the Houthis — whose official name is Ansar Allah, or Partisans of God — had ebbed and flowed between campaign and ceasefire, but for most Saudis, it had remained background noise.
asserted
it → ebb → Saudis
That changed in recent months, with a truce breaking down, and the Houthis lobbing drones, ballistic and cruise missiles across Saudi Arabia.
asserted
Houthis → change → Arabia
All of a sudden, the war took on a more present form, unsettling a kingdom unused to conflicts playing out on home turf.
asserted
war → take → turf
Almost every night in Riyadh brings the bass-drum booms and thuds of interceptors launching to destroy incoming projectiles.
asserted
night → bring → projectiles
Government messaging has turned pugilistic, replacing paeans to Vision 2030 and the country’s leadership with images of Saudi F-15s en route to do battle over Yemen, or commercial billboards declaring “Our bravery brings us together” or “Stable home, reassured hearts.”
In October alone, Houthi missile strikes on Saudi airports have killed at least 21 people and wounded hundreds, forcing authorities to shut down operations in the country’s main international airport in Riyadh and curtailing travel in others.
asserted
strikes → turn → others
(On Sunday, officials announced some flights at the Riyadh airport had resumed.)
asserted
flights → announce → airport
Schools shifted to online-only learning, while many businesses — including Saudi Aramco, the country’s state-owned oil company — were ordered to evacuate headquarters and have all staff work remotely.
asserted
staff → shift → headquarters
The U.S. Embassy ordered “non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members” in Saudi Arabia to leave.
asserted
Embassy → order → Arabia
The attacks come at an inopportune juncture.
asserted
attacks → come → juncture
Many of the kingdom’s marquee, international-facing gatherings have been affected, including the World Petroleum Congress, a summit between the European Union and Persian Gulf nations, and the government’s flagship investment conference, the Future Investment Initiative.
asserted
Many → face → Union
Though the congress went ahead — with many top oil executives attending virtually — the summit and investment conference were shelved till next year.
asserted
summit → go → year
Also postponed were some of Riyadh Season’s major sporting events, such as the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament.
asserted
some → postpone → tournament
But other events — including boxing and UFC championships and the WWE Crown Jewel event — remain stubbornly on the calendar.
asserted
events → include → calendar
The first few days of Riyadh Season have gone ahead with little incident, even if participants were forced to divert to other cities or even neighboring Bahrain or Kuwait before being ferried back to the Saudi capital.
asserted
participants → go → capital
That shrugging off of the war was a common attitude among visitors to Boulevard City, organizers say.
asserted
organizers → shrug → City
In the replica Times Square, building-sized screens cast windows of light as people grabbed elaborate drinks made with iced tea, coffee or hibiscus.
asserted
people → cast → tea
Trackless trains, their carriages mocked up as reindeer, ferried kids around a giant illuminated orb.
asserted
carriages → mock → orb
“Between foot traffic in Boulevard City, audiences for the plays and the concerts, we had something like 27,000 people coming in,” said Hassan Albar, Boulevard City’s director, a note of pride — and some relief — creeping into his voice.
asserted
note → have → voice
“And we’re still at the beginning of the season.
asserted
we → ’re → season
Despite the daily cellphone alerts that warn residents to remain indoors until danger passes, people interviewed emphasized a show-must-go-on disposition.
asserted
show → warn → disposition
“We like to keep it positive, so we’re not going to be staying inside.
asserted
we → like → it
It’s human nature to feel afraid if you don’t have control, but the situation is fine,” said Neetika Malotra, 33, who was taking pictures of Ankid Abishaikh, 34, before a Boulevard City sign.
asserted
who → ’ → sign
Abishaikh said conditions in Saudi Arabia are different from how they’re portrayed online.
asserted
they → say → Arabia
“Our parents are outside in India, so when they see news channels or social media, it looks very scary.
asserted
it → see → channels
But we tell them that what they see there is not always right,” he said.
asserted
he → tell → what
“When you’re here, everything feels normal and we’re doing well.”
asserted
we → ’re → ?
Both the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and the Houthis’ campaign have harmed Saudi Arabia’s oil production, with closures of the Strait of Hormuz denying the kingdom its main energy export corridor.
asserted
closures → harm → corridor
In addition to missiles at Riyadh‘s airport, the Houthis over the weekend targeted crude oil pumping stations, an oil refinery, an Aramco facility in Yanbu and the East-West Pipeline, which transports oil to terminals on the Red Sea coast.
asserted
which → target → coast
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
