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Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Airport Resumes Operations After Attack

Updated 5:16 AM ET · 4:25 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority announced on Thursday that operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have resumed and air traffic has returned to normal, according to Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Gulfnews, Hindustan Times (India), and Minutemirror (Pakistan).

Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the attack resulted in the deaths of one Saudi citizen, two residents each of Indian, Yemeni, and Bangladeshi nationalities, and one resident of Nepalese nationality. Hindustan Times (India) stated that two people were killed, including an Indian national, and eight were injured, including a Saudi citizen and seven expatriates.

Gulfnews confirmed that the death toll from the October 21 attack had risen to two after an additional fatality was reported, while also noting that eight people were injured in the attack, including a Saudi citizen and seven expatriates of Indian, Yemeni, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese nationalities.

The BBC (United Kingdom) reported that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis attacked the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, earlier this month, and the US State Department has ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as attacks escalate.

The Hindustan Times (India) reported that according to an AFP tally based on official figures, attacks on Saudi airports have killed 22 people this month.

Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) and Hindustan Times (India) both reported that the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed two people and injured eight, with the victims including Saudi citizens and expatriates.

The BBC (United Kingdom) noted that the airport had suspended operations and that flights would resume at 23:59 on Monday, but this was later updated to indicate that operations had resumed on Thursday.

Despite the differing details provided by various outlets, they all agree that the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to eight others, and that operations have since resumed.

The BBC (United Kingdom) and Hindustan Times (India) provided additional context about the broader impact of the attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil exports and diplomatic relations, while Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) focused on the immediate impact of the attack on the airport.

Background

What's confirmed

• RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority on Thursday said that operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have resumed and air traffic have returned to normal.
• Two people were killed, including an Indian national, in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia's eastern oil city of Dammam, the country's general authority of civil aviation said on Thursday, as strikes by Yemen's Houthis intensify.

What's still developing

• The group's "maritime embargo" in the Bab al-Mandab Strait along Yemen's south-western coast has contributed to a surge in global oil prices because Saudi Arabia had been relying on the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
• Zelenskyy’s warning that Russian airspace is becoming dangerous is proving true: Russia temporarily restricted operations at 27 airports amid a massive drone attack.
• “Operation to strike Russian targets deep in swamps continues”: Ukrainian Commander Madiar says his unit hits 7,306 Russian troops in first half of October, up 59% on August.
• According to JPMorgan, Saudi Arabia has increased exports through the Strait of Hormuz to an average of 2.9 million barrels per day over the last six days, up from 700,000 barrels per day in August.
• On the contrary, the deteriorating economic situation will make Tehran more aggressive, negatively impacting Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.
• Preemptive warnings prevented train casualties, and border operations resumed after temporary sheltering.
• State Border Guard Service (DPSU) spokesman Andriy Demchenko confirmed that incoming fire did not directly hit the border inspection infrastructure itself, though operations at the Yahodyn crossing were temporarily halted during the air raid alert while personnel and travelers sheltered.
• Dudy said on Sunday that authorities across the airports have been conducting tests every 30 minutes "to anticipate whether the ash spread is widening or subsiding".
• Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out Kyiv's deepest strike into Russia so far in the full-scale war, attacking a natural gas facility 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles) from the Ukrainian border on Sept. 9, the military said.
• Russia has resumed its relentless attacks on Kyiv with jet-powered drones, killing one person and injuring at least 17 people, including two children, in daytime strikes on the capital, local authorities said on Sept. 9.
• Saudi officials announced late Friday that the East-West pipeline was closed as a precautionary measure following strikes the previous day.
• Authorities gave no timeline for when the link, which has a capacity of about 7 million barrels per day and carries crude across the country to Red Sea ports, would resume operations.

Sources

• Arabnewslink
• Gulfnewslink
• Hindustan Timeslink
• Euromaidanpresslink
• Fxstreetlink
• Kyivpostlink
• BBClink
• Kyivindependentlink
• Pipeline-Journallink
• Rustourismnewslink
• Eutodaylink
• Minutemirrorlink
• Kfgolink
• Clickorlandolink
• Jpostlink
• WarpBeat — background on Saudi Airport Attack Kills One, Injures Eight link
• CNN-News18 — video link