Saudi Aviation Reports Damage After Jizan and Najran Airport Strikes

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that attacks struck airports in Jizan and Najran on Monday night, leaving three people injured and inflicting material damage, according to wire reports. The strikes come alongside reports highlighted by Bloomberg that Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Riyadh, claimed to have regained territory from Houthi fighters as conflict escalates near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The cross-border flare-up injects fresh geopolitical friction directly into energy transit zones along the Red Sea corridor. Energy markets absorbed the initial headlines with caution. Front-month WTI crude futures traded down 1.08% on the session at $88.46 a barrel, while Brent slipped 0.53% to $99.79. Front-month gold futures edged up 0.26% to $4,167.80, pointing to targeted safe-haven positioning rather than a broad, disorderly flight across macro assets. On the equity desk, index books remain buffered against headline-driven swings. SPY sits at 774.92, inside long gamma territory above its 770.02 flip. The 775 call wall continues to cap immediate upside, keeping dealers positioned to dampen momentum and sell intraday spikes toward the ceiling. QQQ maintains a similar posture at 756.45, well clear of its 750.31 flip with resistance standing at its 760 call wall. While physical attacks on regional aviation infrastructure typically force an immediate oil risk premium, crude's muted retreat suggests market participants are waiting to see whether export operations or transit lanes face sustained disruption. For equity dealers holding positive net gamma, that calm leaves the established range intact until a move tests the flip.