Three Saudis Killed in Attacks on Riyadh Airport as Houthi Conflict Escalates

Three Saudi Arabian nationals have been killed and several others injured following two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to the country's General Authority of Civil Aviation.

The authority disclosed on Friday that the attacks occurred on Thursday, with the first targeting airport facilities and the second striking an aircraft belonging to Saudi Arabia's national carrier, Saudia.

In a statement published on social media platform X, the aviation authority said the victims sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe. The attacks also caused material damage to airport infrastructure and an aircraft.

However, the authority confirmed that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.

Houthis Claim Responsibility for Missile Attacks

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the attack on Riyadh airport, saying it had launched two cruise missiles at the facility.

The group also claimed to have targeted an airport in Najran, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia, and an airbase in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported attack on Najran airport.

The Houthis said their attacks were aimed at Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has backed an offensive by Yemen's internationally recognised government to regain territory controlled by the Houthi movement.

Fresh Attacks Follow Earlier Airport Strikes

The latest confirmed deaths came after Saudi authorities reported on Wednesday that three people had been killed in earlier attacks targeting Riyadh airport and Abha airport in the country's southwest.

The repeated attacks have heightened security concerns across Saudi Arabia as the conflict in Yemen increasingly becomes entangled with the wider war involving the United States and Iran.

The escalating violence threatens to destabilise the region further and could draw additional countries into the conflict.

Source: Reuters