Several injured as Saudi capital airport reportedly hit again
Quick Look
- King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was evacuated after a loud blast was heard on Saturday, with more than a dozen ambulances rushing to the scene.
- The attack comes days after Houthi rebels claimed two successful attacks on the hub and follows a pattern of escalating attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and shipping in the Red Sea amid renewed fighting in Yemen's civil war.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen, have been engaged in civil war with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since 2015. A Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the internationally recognised government. A temporary ceasefire in 2022 collapsed in July, prompting Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets.
An international airport in the Saudi capital has been attacked again, reports say, just days after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed two successful attacks on the hub.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was evacuated after a loud blast was heard on Saturday, two international news agencies have reported.
More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport, according to Reuters, citing an eyewitness. Saudi authorities have not commented, while the airport told passengers to check with their airline before travelling there.
The attack comes a day after authorities said three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in two attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis the day prior.
Another three people were killed in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October.
They came during a marked escalation in renewed fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, who control most of the country's north-west.
The Houthis say they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war.
The conflict worsened after the Houthis seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.
That included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping. Yemeni pro-government forces have since said they had "secured" the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised government.
A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
But the informal truce began to unravel in July.
The Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. They said they were retaliating against what they described as a years-long Saudi blockade and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Saudi Arabia will increase military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen
Likely · Within weeks
Global shipping routes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait will face continued disruption
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Who carried out the blast at King Khalid International Airport?
- What was the extent of damage and casualties at the airport?
- Will Saudi Arabia retaliate militarily against Houthi positions in Yemen?
- How will the attacks affect global shipping and oil markets?
