Yemenupdated 1h ago3 min read
Houthis Attack King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Temporarily Suspending Operations
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Houthis attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, causing injuries and damage. Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation suspended airport operations pending damage assessment.
18 outlets told this the same way.
Riyadh Airport Hit
The General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was subjected to an afternoon assault that resulted in a number of injuries whose extent was being tallied. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said operations at the airport in Riyadh were temporarily suspended after the attack on Saturday afternoon, and officials were assessing the damage and determining the exact number of injuries. The Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for the latest attack on King Khalid International Airport, Al Jazeera reported from Yemen.
The Iran-backed group warned aviation companies to avoid using Saudi airspace, adding that any aircraft operating there, except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is a target. King Khalid airport urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before heading to the airport amid reports of disruptions to air traffic.
Trump Weighs Action
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that he was asked whether the United States planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, saying, “We may. 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,”.
Trump was asked about whether the United States planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis after the attack on King Khalid International Airport injured several people, Al Jazeera said.
The US mission in Riyadh “strongly recommends” all US citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas, and the British and Irish embassies advised their nationals about “a serious incident” at the airport.
Major General Turki al-Malik stated that a wide military operation was being carried out targeting elements of the Houthis and their military capabilities, and the coalition reported destruction of 136 military targets in areas under the group’s control.
The Yemeni government urged the United Nations Security Council to take "practical and decisive" action to stop the Houthis’ military escalation and the flow of weapons and military technology to them, Al-Arabi Al-Jadid said.
Escalation and Risks
Yemen’s Houthi group is at war with Riyadh and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden, and the Houthis warned aviation companies to avoid Saudi airspace.
The Iran-backed group warned that any aircraft operating in Saudi airspace, except over Mecca and Medina, is a target, and the airport did not specify the cause of disruptions in its initial advisory.
The statements came amid a continuing military escalation in Yemen, with ongoing air operations and field movements by government forces and the coalition, and announced operations focused on military sites, missile systems, and command and supply centers.
Saad bin Omar, director of the Arab Century Center for Studies, said Saudi Arabia is capable of protecting itself and obtaining the weapons that enable it to repel these attacks, while American interest requires intervention now to enable the legitimate government to control Bab al-Mandab.
Dr. Mahjoub al-Zuweiri told Al Jazeera that the Houthis are treating the current situation as an existential threat that may erase them from the map of Yemeni politics, and the Houthis have refrained from closing Bab al-Mandab to keep Washington away from this battle.