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BackAustralians in Riyadh told to shelter as Saudis and Houthis trade attacks
Australians in Riyadh told to shelter as Saudis and Houthis trade attacks
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ABC Top Stories54 minutes agoWorld2 min readAustralia

Australians in Riyadh told to shelter as Saudis and Houthis trade attacks

King Khalid International Airport remains closed following deadly strikes; Iran offers to mediate conflict.

Quick Look

  • The Australian embassy in Riyadh has ordered citizens to shelter in place as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue.
  • King Khalid International Airport remains closed after a weekend attack killed 14 people, while Iran has offered to mediate the ongoing conflict.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The conflict involves ongoing hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen. Recent escalations have targeted Saudi infrastructure, including major airports.

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The Australian embassy in Riyadh has issued a new shelter in place order as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis continue to exchange deadly attacks.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed over the weekend following an attack on the site which killed 14 people and injured more than 320 others.

Riyadh's airport closure was extended on Monday, and Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation did not say when it would be reopened.

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis said on Monday it was dealing with drones and missiles heading towards Saudi Arabia as hostilities with the Iran-aligned Yemeni group persist.

The embassy on Monday called for people to "stay indoors, follow the advice of local authorities and avoid unnecessary travel".

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed over the weekend following consecutive attacks on the site which killed 14 people and injured more than 320 others.

The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks and later warned travellers and airline workers to stay away from Saudi airports.

Businesses in Riyadh's financial hub have told employees to work remotely and authorities in Riyadh have also asked schools to switch to online classes amid the Houthis' increased attacks on the kingdom.

A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi-run Health Ministry said on Monday that air strikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa killed one person and wounded 12 others.

Ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said a strike on a salt factory in Sanaa's Hamadan district killed a man and wounded eight people. A separate strike on a house wounded a woman and three children, he said.

The Iranian-backed rebels' media centre blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

Iran's Foreign Ministry repeated the country's readiness to help settle the conflict between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia through diplomatic means.

Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran was deeply concerned about the situation in the Arabian Peninsula and had announced its readiness to mediate talks between the two sides "many times".

Mr Baghaei said the war only served Israeli interests and that Iran did not accept the continuation of conflict between two Islamic nations.

He said Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Saudi counterpart discussed developments on a phone call on Sunday.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • Continued closure of King Khalid International Airport.

    Very likely · Within days

Open Questions

  • When will King Khalid International Airport reopen?
  • Will the Saudi-led coalition launch a retaliatory ground offensive?

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This article was originally published by ABC Top Stories.

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