An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday injured several people and forced the suspension of airport operations, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has reported. The Houthis were behind the attack, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior political official and spokesman for the group, confirmed to RT.
The news comes almost a week after Yemen’s internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government launched a major offensive to retake territory from the Iran-backed Houthis, including areas near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-led forces have supported the operation with airstrikes, while the Houthis have retaliated with missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s international airport.
Al-Bukhaiti stressed that the Houthis would continue striking Saudi targets until Riyadh agreed to a comprehensive peace deal ending the war and the blockade of Houthi-controlled northern Yemen.
GACA said that the attack resulted in a number of injuries, the extent of which is still being assessed. “Operational activities at the airport have been temporarily suspended pending a full assessment of the damage and verification of facility safety,” it said in a statement.
A missile struck the building housing two terminals used for domestic flights at the airport, AP reported, citing a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a plume of smoke rising above Terminal 3 following the strike.
Footage from Terminal 3 of King Khalid Intl. Airport, Riyadh, following an Ansarallah ballistic missile strike. https://t.co/MoaFKmHR7B
At least 316 flights to and from Riyadh airport were cancelled on Saturday, according to data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign against the Houthis since 2015. The hostilities largely subsided following a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022 before flaring up again this July following a strike on Sanaa airport by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.
Fighting escalated further in September as the Houthis made their biggest territorial gains in years, capturing the strategic port of Mocha and expanding their control along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital international shipping route.
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