Saudi capital airport hit by second strike in two days

Figure caption, Watch: The scene at Riyadh international airport after strikeByTinshui YeungPublished3 minutes agoAn international airport in the Saudi capital has been hit by a second strike in as many days, officials have said.A Saudi military spokesman said a projectile had hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, causing a fire in one of its passenger halls. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said there had been injuries.It comes a day after a strike on the same airport killed 13 people and injured 308 others, following similar strikes earlier this week.Yemen's Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility for the strikes, warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi Arabian airports and airspace.The Houthis have said they were targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war, as well as an air strike on the airport in Sanaa.Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, said air defences had intercepted a missile near the airport in Riyadh, while authorities were dealing with the fire.UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the UK could "potentially" provide more support for Saudi Arabia, while US President Donald Trump said the US would "make a decision" and "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis.Saturday's strike was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the war between Israel, the US and Iran began in February.Four Saudi nationals, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt were among the dead, the Saudi civil aviation authority said. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that an Indian man had succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the attack. Riyadh airport attack another dangerous moment in already tense conflictPublished1 hour agoThe Houthis said they had targeted the airport with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones in the past 24 hours.Their military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree vowed to continue the "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia".He warned that Saudi airports were "potential targets and sites for operations by our forces", apart from those in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.The UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to parts of Saudi Arabia, including areas within 10km (6.2 miles) of the border with Yemen, while other western embassies have warned their nationals about travel in the region.Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was "appalled" by the attack.The Saudi-led coalition vowed to respond to Saturday's attack, which it called a "war crime" and blamed on the Houthis.Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said "the Saudi enemy" had launched an air strike on Sanaa International Airport in Yemen's capital. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the attack and the BBC has been unable to verify this claim.Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, vice-president of Yemen's internationally recognised government, called for "decisive actions" from regional and international partners.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed that a US citizen was killed in the strikes.Asked whether the US planned to also conduct strikes on the Houthis, US President Donald Trump said it may, adding: "We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."Riyadh's airport was struck on Thursday, an attack that killed three Saudi nationals. The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they had used cruise missiles to target the airport.There were two other deadly attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Riyadh in the two days prior to that. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Smoke and flames seen at King Khalid airport in Riyadh on 8 OctoberThe latest uptick in violence comes after a temporary ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces, brokered in 2022, collapsed in July.The conflict worsened after the Houthis seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive, prompting Saudi strikes. Yemeni pro-government forces later said they had secured the regions.The Houthis currently control around a quarter of Yemeni territory and as much as 80% of the country's population. The Iran-backed armed group hopes to eventually seize complete control.Saudi Arabia fears this would lead to the establishment of an Iranian satellite state on its southern border.Related topicsHouthis Saudi ArabiaYemenSaudi Arabian-led intervention in YemenRiyadhMore on this storyYemeni military says it has 'secured' Red Sea waterwayPublished5 days agoInside Yemen's front-line city as Houthis battle for controlPublished27 SeptemberHow escalating Saudi oil crisis could drive up prices everywherePublished16 September