The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that Riyadh airport was subjected to a new attack on Sunday, adding that the air defense intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile in the vicinity of the airport.
The coalition also stated that the Saudi authorities are working to combat a fire at Riyadh Airport.
The coalition did not provide further details, but this statement comes a day after an attack on the airport that killed at least 12 and injured more than 300.
The Ansar Allah group in Yemen (the Houthis) renewed its warning against using Saudi airports and airspace because they are vulnerable to being targeted, a day after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that left 12 dead and at least 309 injured.
The military spokesman for the group, Yahya Saree, issued a warning to all air navigation companies, experts, employees, workers and travelers against using Saudi airports and airspace because they are vulnerable to being targeted and a theater of operations, but he excluded Mecca and Medina.
Saree stated that the Yemeni group "is continuing to establish the announced equations, equating airport with airport, siege with siege, and escalation with escalation until its goals are achieved."
The new warning from the Ansar Allah group was preceded by a statement from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia in which it announced that its employees were informed of the need to obtain a special permit to use Jeddah and Dammam airports.
The statement said: “US government employees working in Saudi Arabia now require a special permit to use King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, in addition to Jeddah and Dammam airports.”
The Foreign Ministry, run by the Ansar Allah group, vowed on Sunday a strong response to any other military move by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, saying that “the principle of reciprocity is what determines the nature of the military response to the Saudi regime at this stage.”
The Saudi Embassy in Kuwait announced that it would provide buses to return its citizens whose flights to Riyadh were canceled after the bloody attack on the airport in the Saudi capital.
The embassy stated in a statement on the “X” platform that it will “provide buses to transport citizens wishing to return to the city of Riyadh whose flights have been cancelled, provided that there is a canceled travel reservation,” noting that the gathering for the start will be on Monday.
Riyadh International Airport extended its suspension on Sunday, according to what a senior source in the aviation sector told Agence France-Presse on Sunday, while the “Flight Radar 24” platform specialized in monitoring air traffic indicated “the closure of Riyadh Airport has been extended for another 24 hours, until 21:00 GMT today.”
Another source who works in supervising flights to Riyadh confirmed that operations had been halted “until further notice.”
He continued to Agence France-Presse, “The information available to us indicates that operations have been suspended until further notice, and that some systems, such as radar and communications devices, have been damaged,” noting that the condition of the stands must also be evaluated.
On Saturday, the embassies of Canada, Germany and Spain in Saudi Arabia called on their nationals to stay away from Riyadh International Airport, following reports that it had been attacked.
The Spanish embassy, via the X platform, alerted its citizens of a “new attack” on the airport.
The Canadian embassy merely said that “ongoing military activity,” the nature of which was not specified, was affecting the airport, while the German mission attributed its request to “the current situation.”
On Friday, the French embassy urged French nationals to exercise “utmost caution” in Saudi Arabia due to “the strikes launched by the Houthis in recent days,” while warning its citizens against photographing the areas that were bombed or sharing any photos online.
Schools in Riyadh moved to the distance education system as of Sunday, following the attack that targeted the airport in the Saudi capital, according to a letter addressed to parents and seen by Agence France-Presse.
The email stated that, in line with the directives of the Ministry of Education, all schools in Riyadh will move to distance learning throughout the week. This is the second time such a measure has been taken in the capital in less than a month.
The Saudi-led military coalition announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the Ansar Allah group in Al-Kharj Governorate, hours after it announced that a projectile had fallen in the vicinity of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, east of the Kingdom.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the killing of 12 people, including four Saudis and eight residents of different nationalities, and the injury of 309 others, some of whom are in critical conditions, as a result of the attack on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
The authority added that the attack caused material damage, which is being assessed, after it announced the temporary suspension of operational operations at the airport.
US President Donald Trump described the attack as "unacceptable" and said that he would speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump said in previous statements that he would make a “quick” decision regarding the possibility of the United States joining Saudi Arabia in directing strikes against the Ansar Allah group in Yemen.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC that the UK was already providing air refueling support to Saudi Arabia.
When asked whether British support might go beyond that following last night's deadly attack, he said: "Possibly."
When asked to clarify whether the UK would engage in offensive operations, as President Donald Trump had hinted the US might do, he said that was “not what we are looking at at this stage”.
The Minister of Defense added: “We have always made clear that there is no military solution to this conflict.”
The attack on Riyadh Airport sparked widespread international and Arab condemnation.
“I am deeply shocked and strongly condemn the bloody attack launched by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.
Guterres stressed that "attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law, and these attacks must stop immediately."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen considered this attack a "dangerous escalation."
The attack also sparked condemnations from Arab and foreign countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq, in addition to the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other regional organizations.
