The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority announced the death of 3 citizens and the injury of several people, as a result of two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, noting that the first targeted its facilities, and the second targeted a plane belonging to “Saudi Airlines,” resulting in material damage.
A statement by the authority said on Friday that emergency teams and competent authorities began dealing with the two attacks immediately after they occurred, in accordance with approved procedures and plans, adding that the injuries to people of different nationalities ranged from minor to severe, and they were immediately transferred to the hospital to receive the necessary medical care.
The authority confirmed the continuation of work - in continuous integration and coordination with the relevant security authorities - to assess the damage, and to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of travelers and workers, and to maintain the security and safety of the civil aviation system in Saudi Arabia, noting the resumption of operational operations at the airport, and the return of air traffic to normal.
For its part, Saudi Airlines mourned the pilot of the plane, Captain Hammoud Al-Kalthami, who was martyred as a result of the airport accident, recalling what he provided during his professional career in the service of the national carrier, and the good reputation he left behind among his colleagues.
The company offered its sincere condolences and sincere sympathy to the captain’s family, relatives and colleagues, asking God to cover him with His vast mercy and forgiveness, to dwell him in spacious gardens, and to inspire his family and lovers with patience and solace.
Saudi Airlines explained, in a statement, that the incident resulted in damage to one of its planes while it was on the airport grounds, without guests on board at the time of the incident, adding that it immediately activated emergency response procedures, in coordination with the competent authorities, to deal with its repercussions, follow up on the conditions of those affected, and provide the necessary care and support for them and their families.
The company announced the return of its flights and operational operations at King Khalid International Airport to normal, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, while continuing to follow flight schedules and communicate with guests through its official channels.
The United Nations strongly condemned the continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, stressing that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
During the daily press conference on Thursday, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed the necessity of exercising the utmost restraint and taking all necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and spare them the dangers of military operations.
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, also condemned the Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure and the energy sector in the Kingdom, reiterating his call on the group to stop them.
Grundberg added, during a briefing he presented to the UN Security Council on Friday, that the Houthi threats to Saudi commercial ships in the Red Sea undermine the freedom of navigation for all countries.
Jassim Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, expressed in a statement his strong condemnation and categorical condemnation of the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia targeting the airport.
Al-Budaiwi stressed that the Houthi militia’s deliberate targeting of civilian airports and civilians requires serious international action and decisive measures to ensure its deterrence and prevent the recurrence of such attacks, which contradict the most basic humanitarian principles and international conventions.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed that the security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the Gulf states, with which it stands in solidarity and supports it absolutely in all its steps to maintain its security and protect its capabilities and territorial integrity.
The Muslim World League strongly condemned the Houthis’ continued aggression against Saudi Arabia, and its Secretary-General, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, renewed his condemnation of these treacherous terrorist attacks, which violate all religious values, international and humanitarian laws and norms, and confirm the criminal approach of this militia, in deliberately targeting civilians and civilian objects.
Al-Issa, in the name of the League’s assemblies, bodies, global councils, and the Islamic peoples under its umbrella, reaffirmed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, in its measures to deter aggressors, and preserve its security and the safety of citizens and residents, asking God to protect its land, its leadership, and its people from all evil and harm, and to cover the martyrs with His vast mercy, place them in His spacious paradise, and grant the injured a speedy recovery.
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar considered these attacks a blatant violation of Saudi sovereignty, a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law, and a dangerous escalation that threatens security, regional stability, and the safety of civilians, civilian objects, and civilian air navigation, in accordance with the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
The countries stressed their categorical rejection of the hostilities and the necessity of their immediate cessation, renewing their absolute solidarity with Saudi Arabia and their support for its measures to protect its sovereignty, security, lands, interests, citizens and residents, and its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
Manama renewed its call on the Security Council to take a firm stance to stop the Houthis’ repeated attacks on civilian objects, installations and airports, hold their perpetrators accountable, and ensure the full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, most notably Resolutions (2216) and (2817). In order to ensure the protection of civilians and the maintenance of regional and international peace and security.
