JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Its confidence shaken, Saudi Arabia pledged anew to ensure stability in the kingdom and said today that four of the militants behind a deadly assault on the U.S. consulate in Jiddah the day before were Saudis.

Analysts said Monday's assault - a strike on a highly guarded American target after Saudi Arabia had cracked down on militants - will likely encourage terrorists to attack again.

Five consulate employees, all non-American, were killed and another four were injured. The Interior Ministry today named three of the assailants, none of whom appear on the kingdom's list of 26 most wanted militants. The ministry had said Monday there were five assailants, four of whom had been killed and the fifth captured. today, it specified only four as assailants, taking care to indicate it hadn't been determined how the fifth person, who was not identified, was involved.

The attack came a week after the deputy leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, warned in a videotape that Washington must change its policies or face further attacks by the terror group.

Saudi and U.S. officials have blamed the terror network led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden for all major militant attacks in the kingdom since 2003.

The Saudi government has condemned the attack and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal was reported to have called the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James Oberwetter.

"The kingdom is determined to root out terrorism and preserve its security and stability," the state-guided newspaper Okaz quoted Saud as telling the ambassador.

The attack in Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude producer, along with unrest in Nigeria, also pushed crude prices upward today, as supply fears crept back into play and traders considered a potential production cut from oil cartel OPEC.

The attack's five victims were consulate staff: one Yemeni, a Sudanese, a Filipino, a Pakistani and a Sri Lankan, according to a Saudi security official speaking to Saudi television. He said 13 people were injured, including five Saudi security men.

The significance of the attack, analysts say, was the target, timing and element of surprise - three factors that may force a closer look at the Saudi government's efforts in fighting terror.

"Here is an American consulate that was targeted. It was penetrated. They managed to go through the security, which should have been as tough and as solid as a shield. It shows that American targets in Saudi Arabia, no matter how well protected, are vulnerable to these kind of attacks," said Abdul Khaleq Abdulla, a political analyst.

The consulate - like all U.S. diplomatic buildings and other Western compounds in Saudi Arabia - has been heavily fortified since last year's series of bombings against targets housing foreigners.

"This was a very hard target to attack, and they pulled it off. Whether Saudi security forces were lax, following their successes over the past few months, is debatable," said Diaa Rashwan, a Cairo-based expert on Muslim militants.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said security measures were sufficient to allow employees to retreat to safe areas. No Americans were killed.