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Attack Injures Several at Saudi Capital's Airport
Confirmed
In Short: An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh injured several people, suspending operations temporarily.
An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh injured several people, prompting the suspension of operations at the airport.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the attack resulted in injuries, with the exact number still being determined.
The attack comes amid ongoing assaults on civil aviation facilities in the Kingdom, according to GACA.
More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport, indicating the severity of the incident.
The attack is the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces launched a major offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last weekend.
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced it had launched “large-scale operations” against the Houthis, destroying more than 130 targets.
The US embassy urged American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas, while several Gulf airlines canceled flights to and from the airport.
The attack follows a series of strikes on Saudi airports, including Abha International Airport in Asir province, where two women were killed earlier.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they were retaliating against what they described as a years-long Saudi blockade and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group, with Riyadh considering a coastal operation or wider assault to push back Houthi forces.
Regional and Western officials told Reuters that Saudi Arabia is planning a military offensive against Houthi forces, ranging from a limited push to retake the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route to a wider attack on several fronts.
What's confirmed
- #GACA https://t.co/5vhxoGBVc7 “The attack resulted in a number of injuries, the exact number of which is currently being determined.” Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said those who had been unable to reach their destinations in the Kingdom from abroad because of the disruption should contact the Saudi missions in the countries where they are located to request assistance.
- More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport.
- The US embassy said it was "aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport" and urged American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas.
- Yemen’s Houthis attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with two cruise missiles, and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said the attacks killed three Saudi nationals and injured several people.
- It marked the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in Yemen launched a major offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis last weekend.
- According to GACA’s statement issued on Friday, the first attack targeted airport facilities and the second targeted a Saudia aircraft.
- Three Saudi nationals, including a pilot of the national airline Saudia, were killed in two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi authorities said on Friday.
What's still developing
- Yemeni pro-government forces have since said they had "secured" the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised government. A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. But the informal truce began to unravel in July. The Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.
- "I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running," an eyewitness who said they had been at gate 401 in the domestic terminal told the news agency.
- All flights to Riyadh have either been diverted or cancelled, aviation tracker Flightradar shows.
- Riyadh, Sep 16: Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca before it could enter the holy city’s restricted airspace, as tensions with Yemen’s Houthi group continued to escalate.
- Israel and Saudi Arabia held talks mediated by US Central Command (CENTCOM) aimed at helping Riyadh defend itself against the Houthi military through intelligence assistance, Middle Eastern news outlet Walla reported, citing diplomatic sources.
- Riyadh could therefore "accept the new reality and return to the political track, including addressing some of the Houthis’ demands," to settle the conflict and prevent further damage to its energy infrastructure, Ahmed Nagi, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Newsweek.
- The attacks were reported as fighting raged in Yemen between the Houthis and Riyadh-backed government forces, killing dozens of people on both sides, according to a tally from seven sources who spoke to AFP.