India, Oct. 12 -- Airports, oil pipelines and ambitious development projects: the confrontation described in the latest episode of Hindustan Times' Point Blank reaches beyond the battlefield. In conversation with Senior Anchor Aayesha Varma, HT Executive Editor Shishir Gupta argued that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could widen an already tangled Middle Eastern crisis, threatening energy supplies and testing regional alliances. His central warning was that the economic consequences could ultimately outweigh the military damage.

The discussion opened with Varma referring to attacks on Riyadh airport and reporting at least 14 deaths across recent strikes. Gupta described attacks on airports in Riyadh and Dammam, alongside the targeting of...