Saudi Arabia Extends Riyadh Airport Shutdown After Houthi Drone And Missile Attacks

Riyadh airport hit again

Saudi Arabia extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to complete procedures to verify the safety of the facilities after a new attack. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that the attack claimed the life of a Pakistani resident and left 11 others injured, and it said the injured were immediately transported to a hospital for medical care. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia fighting the Yemeni Houthi group said its forces intercepted and destroyed a drone and a ballistic missile aimed at Saudi Arabia, with coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki reporting the drone was intercepted in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and the ballistic missile was launched by the Houthis toward the city of Khamis Mushait.

The Houthis’ campaign against Saudi airports continued after a missile struck the same terminal and killed 13 people, and Saudi authorities said a projectile hit a passenger terminal on Sunday and killed one person described as a Pakistani national while 11 were injured. The BBC said the Saudi minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman vowed a "serious" response to Houthi attacks on the kingdom’s airports and oil and gas facilities, while the Houthis said they launched the attacks in retaliation for "brutal Saudi aggression" against areas they control in western Yemen.

Reporting for this sectionAgencia Noticias ArgentinasAP News

Iran pushes diplomacy

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Saudi Arabia to pursue a diplomatic solution to its escalating conflict with the Houthi armed group in Yemen, warning that continued military action would only worsen the situation. Araghchi told Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a telephone call on Sunday, "Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation." Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaiel Baghaei said Tehran was open to resolving the conflict through dialogue and told reporters, "We do not want hostilities to continue between two Muslim countries".

Al Jazeera reported that military defence and maritime analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu said Iran’s offer to mediate adds evidence that Houthi attacks on the Kingdom are coordinated with Tehran, and Hudisteanu said, "There is a high probability that Iran is behind these particular set of attacks." The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Araghchi also expressed readiness to help initiate talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen during a phone call with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as the Houthis continued to target Saudi civilian infrastructure including King Khalid International Airport.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAl-Jazeera Net

Escalation and what follows

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman told the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh that "The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious," as operations remained suspended at King Khalid International Airport.

The BBC reported that the Houthis’ military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a video statement that its forces launched missiles and drones at Riyadh and Dammam’s airports and at two oil and gas facilities in Eastern Province in response to 124 Saudi air strikes in Yemen over the previous 24 hours.

Sarea reiterated a warning to airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace except for journeys to and from the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and he vowed the Houthis would "continue their escalating operations deep inside Saudi."

Houthis warn against travel5 of 6 outlets reported it · not in Xinhua Wang▾

The AP said the sharp escalation in the war’s new front threatens to draw in greater U.S. military involvement, and it noted President Donald Trump was weighing joining the fight against the Houthis.

Trump weighs US involvement5 of 6 outlets reported it · not in Xinhua Wang▾

The BBC also said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recommended on Sunday that U.S. airlines exercise extra caution when flying to Saudi Arabia or over its territory, warning of safety risks tied to ongoing military activity and interference with navigation systems.

Reporting for this sectionBBCAP News