A Saudi Airlines plane was severely damaged at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, according to sources and witnesses who spoke to Reuters and Agence France-Presse, after the Yemeni Ansar Allah group announced carrying out three attacks targeting the airport.
The Saudi Civil Defense said that debris resulting from the interception of a ballistic missile damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the capital, without clarifying whether there were any casualties.
The escalation comes as battles continue between the Iranian-backed group and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, amid moves to consider providing military support to Riyadh.
Airport damage and flight disruption
Three informed sources told Reuters that the plane caught fire while stopping at a passenger terminal, after it was hit by shrapnel or a projectile. It was likely that there were no passengers, but it did not rule out injuries.
Two witnesses described to Agence France-Presse holes and cracks in the fuselage of a Saudi Airlines plane at Terminal 4. While a source confirmed that at least one plane was damaged, another spoke of three planes being damaged, without official confirmation of the number or cause of the damage.
The Saudi government, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Saudi Airlines did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment until the publication of its report.
The Ansar Allah group announced that it had targeted Riyadh Airport three times on Thursday, in addition to launching missiles at an airport in Najran and an air base in Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition said that it intercepted two missiles towards Riyadh and another towards Khamis Mushait.
About half of the flights departing from Riyadh Airport were canceled by 3 p.m. GMT, according to Cirium company data reported by Reuters. Lufthansa and Air India suspended their flights to the capital, while the airport called on travelers to check the status of their flights before heading there.
After hearing explosions in the city, schools, companies, and diplomatic missions took precautionary measures, including taking shelter inside buildings and evacuating employees, according to testimonies reported by the two agencies.
Washington called on its citizens to exercise "increased vigilance" and required that US government employees in Saudi Arabia obtain a special permit to use the airport.
On Wednesday, the Saudi civil aviation authorities announced the killing of a Sudanese at Riyadh Airport, and an Egyptian and an Algerian at Abha Airport, as a result of previous attacks during the week. The United Nations condemned the attacks, calling for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Threatening oil installations and discussing support for Riyadh
The Ansar Allah group warned workers in Saudi oil facilities not to stay there, confirming its intention to target them. The group says its attacks are a response to Riyadh's support for Yemeni government forces.
The Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, announced that Paris and Riyadh are studying military options to protect the Yanbu oil port, noting that France has deployed about two thousand military personnel in the region to support its Gulf allies.
On Thursday, Türkiye ruled out sending forces to Yemen, stressing the defensive nature of its cooperation with Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the week, Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad announced the move to implement a tripartite defense agreement, which still needs to be approved by the Turkish Parliament from the Turkish side.
Reuters quoted an American and a Syrian defense official as saying that Damascus is considering defensive support for Saudi Arabia or deploying forces to participate in offensive operations. But a Syrian diplomat said that his country's focus is on its internal priorities, without announcing a decision regarding the deployment of forces.
Battles in Yemen and more than 200 thousand displaced people
In Yemen, military sources from both sides told AFP that Thursday's battles in the southwest of the country resulted in the deaths of at least 83 people. The agency reported that the death toll exceeded 400 since government forces launched Operation “Yemen Dawn” on Monday, with Saudi air support.
The operation aims to restore areas controlled by the Ansar Allah group during its attack in September, during which it extended its control over the entire Yemeni coast overlooking the Red Sea, according to Agence France-Presse.
