War in the Middle East: New Houthi strikes against Riyadh airport, at least one dead

Tension is not falling in the Middle East, quite the contrary. The escalation is further strengthening between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Pro-Iranian rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure on Sunday.

On Saturday, an attack left 13 dead (four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, an Argentinian, a Syrian, a Palestinian, an Indian and a Sudanese) and 309 injured, according to a provisional report, and led to the cessation of flights until further notice. And on Sunday, a new attack on the airport left at least one dead – a Pakistani – and 11 injured, according to the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.

The Houthis claim “major operations”

The Houthis said they had carried out “four major operations in the past 24 hours, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones”. They targeted, “in three phases” starting Friday evening, Riyadh international airport. The rebels also claimed operations against two sites belonging to energy giant Aramco: the Shugadam gas facility and a refinery in Tanajib, both in eastern Saudi Arabia. The fourth operation targeted Dammam international airport.

On Sunday evening, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority reported a new strike against Dammam airport, specifying that a damage assessment was underway. The Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting the Houthis in Yemen, then announced that it had shot down a drone in the east of the kingdom, where authorities had previously reported the attack on Dammam airport.

Threats, except on Mecca and Medina

With the end of the summer heat, October usually marks the start of the peak season for the Umrah pilgrimage, with millions of Muslims from around the world flocking to the kingdom. The Houthis renewed their warning to travelers, employees and airlines on Sunday, assuring that Saudi airports were “unsafe, with the exception” of those in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Our articles on the war in Yemen

The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia denounced Saturday's attack, seeing it as "a war crime" to which it promised to respond "firmly". This attack is the deadliest committed in the kingdom since August 2015 and a suicide attack by the Islamic State jihadist group which left 15 dead.