Saudi capital airport attacked again, air traffic stopped, passengers evacuated: Report
The King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh has been attacked again, said official. As per officials, the airport had been evacuated and the air traffic had stopped. However, there was no immediate Houthi statement on the attack. The latest strike on Riyadh airport comes two days after a similar attack where three Saudi citizens including a pilot were killed. The deceased was a Sudanese national, said officials, adding that eight others, comprising five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and a Pakistan, were also injured in the attack.
What happened?
A Riyadh resident, Ahmed Sayed, told The Associated Press he heard at least two loud explosions that rocked the capital. The airport issued a terse alert telling passengers to check their flight status with airlines before heading to the airport.
The Iran-backed militia had earlier targeted the Abha International Airport that killed two people and left 28 others wounded. The deceased were Algerian and Moroccan nationals. “GACA is working in coordination with the relevant authorities to assess the damage, verify the safety of the facilities, and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain the security and safety of operations within the Kingdom’s civil aviation system,” Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement.
Large-scale operation by Saudi-led coalition against Houthis
The escalation comes after Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air operation over the weekend. The offensive is aimed at recapturing territory along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that the Houthis seized about a month ago. The Bab el-Mandeb is a strategically important maritime passage and serves as an alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the Hormuz route has already been curtailed amid the ongoing Iran war, making developments around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb particularly significant for regional security and global trade.
The Houthis, a Yemen-based group, has kept targeting the Saudis since July, with the United Nations (UN) saying the fighting has displaced more than 200,000 people within the country. Last month, the group had also seized the entire western coastline along the Red Sea, which many described as the deadliest fighting in years.
Yemen has said it would retake all the lost territory from the Houthis, while the Saudis have turned to their allies for help. The Saudis had also requested the United States (US) to intervene, but President Donald Trump refused to strike the Houthis after assurance from the group that it won’t target American assets in the region. However, Trump has approved a proposal of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for USD 24.3 billion.
Also Read:
Houthis claim ballistic missile strike on Riyadh airport as flights halted amid rising tension
