On Friday, the Saudi authorities announced the killing of three Saudi citizens and the injury of others in two attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, while a regional source said that the Kingdom rules out negotiating a truce with the Ansar Allah group before the Yemeni government regains all the lands it lost in recent weeks.
Saudi Airlines confirmed that one of the dead was a pilot working for it, and that one of its planes was damaged while it was on the ground, without passengers on board.
A regional source familiar with Saudi policy told AFP, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, that Riyadh rules out negotiating “any truce or ceasefire before the Yemeni government regains the lands it lost last month,” and that it will not yield to what he described as “military blackmail” from the group.
On Friday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency recommended that airlines avoid additional parts of Saudi airspace, expanding its warning to include an area in the northwest of the Kingdom following the attacks on Riyadh Airport.
The agency said that the repeated attacks with missiles and drones, and the activation of air defense systems, increase the risks of misidentification of civilian aircraft, in addition to the risks of interceptions and falling debris.
On Friday, Saudi Airlines confirmed the death of one of its employees and the damage to a plane while it was on the ground at King Khalid International Airport, noting that there were no passengers on board at the time of the accident.
It was not clear whether the employee was among the three Saudi citizens whose deaths were announced by the Civil Aviation Authority in Thursday's two attacks.
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.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said that air traffic at Riyadh Airport has returned to normal, while data from the “Flight Radar 24” website showed the gradual resumption of flights, including flights of some airlines in the Middle East.
In a separate warning, the Ops Group, which exchanges aviation risk information with about ten thousand specialists, recommended avoiding air operations in Saudi Arabia entirely, including using its airports as backup alternatives during flights, due to the risks of continued attacks and the possibility of miscalculation in defensive responses.
After hearing the sounds of explosions in the city, schools, companies and diplomatic missions took precautionary measures, including taking shelter inside buildings and evacuating employees.
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.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also condemned the attacks on Riyadh Airport, which she attributed to the Ansar Allah group, and described the targeting of civilian infrastructure as “unacceptable.” She affirmed the European Union's solidarity with the Saudi people and its Gulf partners, calling on those she described as "Iran's agents" to stop their "reckless and violent" actions.
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 parliamentary approval from the Turkish side.
On Thursday, Pakistan denied a New York Times report about the use of its warplanes against the Ansar Allah group, and the Ministry of Information described it as “false and fabricated.”
Islamabad confirmed that its forces have been present in Saudi Arabia for decades with multiple missions, but it did not announce direct participation in the ongoing fighting. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry also rejected a report about the deployment of between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers in the Kingdom under the defense agreement, and described this information as speculation.
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.
Saudi Arabia launched raids on targets of the Ansar Allah group in Sanaa on Thursday night - Friday, according to officials in the group and affiliated media outlets.
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed three missile launchers used by the group, warning that it would respond firmly to attacks targeting civilians.
