马修认为，利雅得曾是海湾地区躲避伊朗战争的逃生通道。但现在已不再如此。
Matthew’s view Riyadh was once the Gulf’s escape route from the Iran war. No longer.
多个西方国家政府已建议民众不要前往沙特阿拉伯。美国要求官员必须获得特别批准，才能使用首都的机场。我听说一些高管已经前往多哈和阿联酋。
Several Western governments are advising against travel to Saudi Arabia. The US requires officials to obtain special approval to use the capital’s airport. I’m hearing of some executives leaving for Doha and the UAE.
如今在利雅得，我们能听到爆炸声，看到火灾——自2月28日冲突爆发以来，这些景象几乎从未出现过。这种急剧逆转令人震惊。沙特阿拉伯遭受的袭击比其海湾邻国要少，其领空也基本保持开放，王国方面一直表现出“一切照旧”的态度。
Here in Riyadh, we now hear booms and see fires that have largely been absent since the conflict began on Feb. 28. This is a jarring reversal. Saudi Arabia has suffered fewer attacks than Gulf neighbours, its airspace has mostly stayed open, and the kingdom has projected a business-as-usual attitude.
然而，随着伊朗支持的胡塞武装分子为回应沙特主导的也门军事行动而升级袭击，这种信息越来越难以维持。一次针对利雅得机场的袭击造成一人死亡，据报道，一架沙特阿拉伯航空公司飞机被大火吞噬，数百个航班已被取消。
That message is getting harder to sustain after Iran-backed Houthi fighters escalated attacks in response to the Saudi-led campaign against them in Yemen. One person was killed in a strike on Riyadh airport, a Saudia Airlines plane was reportedly in flames, and hundreds of flights have been canceled.
周四，一些办公室、学校以及机场附近的2030年世博会建筑工地已被疏散。外国政府建议本国公民保持警惕，但当威胁突然从空中降临时，个人又能做些什么呢？
Some offices, schools, and the Expo 2030 construction site near the airport were evacuated on Thursday. Foreign governments suggested their citizens remain vigilant, but what can individuals do when threats come suddenly from the sky?
未来几周，沙特阿拉伯将主办世界石油大会和未来投资倡议，届时全球最大能源和金融机构的首席执行官将齐聚于此。尽管目前尚未有延期或取消的消息，但安全团队无疑正在评估，对于全球经济巨头而言，何种风险水平是可以接受的。缺席可能会冒犯沙特王国，而如今不支持沙特的企业，则可能在该国经济复苏时错失良机。
Over the next few weeks, Saudi Arabia is hosting the World Petroleum Congress and the Future Investment Initiative, drawing CEOs from the world’s biggest energy and financial companies. While no postponements or cancellations have been announced, security teams are undoubtedly assessing what level of risk is tolerable for the titans of the global economy. Staying away could offend the kingdom, and firms that don’t stand with Saudi Arabia now risk missing out when the economy bounces back.
这里的年长居民反复强调，这个国家曾经历过更糟糕的时期，尤其是在1991年第一次海湾战争期间伊拉克发射“飞毛腿”导弹时。但当时的大多数袭击都针对的是军事设施。
Older residents here repeat a mantra that the country has been through worse, notably when Iraq launched Scud missiles in 1991 during the first Gulf War. But most of those strikes were on military structures.
当时的利雅得也与众不同。它并没有成为金融、贸易和旅游中心的野心。如今，它需要稳定。当首都遭受炮火袭击时，要向投资者推销其愿景会变得更加困难。
Riyadh was different then, too. It had no ambitions to be a hub for finance, trade, and tourism. Today, it needs stability. It’s harder to sell investors on its vision when the capital is under fire.
据《纽约时报》报道，周四发生的几起重大爆炸“震撼”了利雅得，而本周胡塞武装发动的袭击，是上月也门战争重新爆发以来最致命的一次。
Notable Explosions “rattled” Riyadh on Thursday, with this week’s Houthi attacks being the deadliest since the war in Yemen was reignited last month, The New York Times reported.