Saudi Arabia extends the suspension of operational operations at Riyadh Airport

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the extension of the suspension of operational operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the airport facilities and their operational readiness, in coordination with the competent authorities, in the wake of the attack launched by the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia, which targeted Terminal 4, resulting in the death of a Pakistani resident and the injury of 11 others, and the attack on Saturday afternoon, which resulted in the death of 12 people and the injury of 309 of different nationalities, in addition to damage. Material being limited.

The authority explained, in a statement issued on Monday, that the extension of the suspension comes to complete the work of verifying the safety and readiness of the facilities, following the attack that occurred in the hall, and the resulting fire and damage, while the concerned authorities continue evaluation procedures and dealing with the repercussions of the incident.

On Sunday, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the interception and destruction of a cruise missile in the vicinity of King Khalid International Airport, coinciding with the attack on Terminal 4 by an unknown projectile, which resulted in a fire. The coalition indicated that the competent authorities responded to the site to deal with the incident.

The attack was part of a series of attacks that took place in Saudi regions during the past hours. The coalition announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched towards Al-Kharj Governorate, and a drone in the eastern region, before announcing at dawn on Monday the interception and destruction of another ballistic missile launched towards Khamis Mushait Governorate.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation also reported that King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was attacked on Sunday evening, stressing that work is underway to complete the damage assessment and verify the safety of the facilities, in coordination with the competent authorities.

The coalition spokesman, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, had described in a previous statement the attack on the passenger lounge at King Khalid Airport, and the resulting deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and workers, as a “full-fledged war crime,” in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, stressing that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition will respond to the attack firmly, in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.

In a related context, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on citizens whose flights were affected or who were unable to reach their destinations as a result of the suspension or delay of some flights heading to King Khalid International Airport, to contact the Kingdom’s missions in the countries in which they are located, to request assistance and obtain the necessary instructions.

The extension of the suspension of operational operations at the airport comes within the framework of measures aimed at verifying the safety of the facilities and ensuring their readiness before resuming operation, in the wake of the attacks that targeted civilian and vital facilities, and the accompanying human losses and material damage.