▲ Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 8.
King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, has been hit again, resulting in casualties, just a day after a missile attack by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed 13 people.
Along with the airport attack, at least two explosions were detected in downtown Riyadh.
On October 11, local time, the Saudi-led coalition announced that an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 of King Khalid International Airport, causing a fire.
According to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, the attack left one Pakistani national dead and 11 others injured.
The coalition stated that local authorities on the scene are directly conducting firefighting and cleanup operations, adding that separately, Saudi air defense systems intercepted a cruise missile in the skies near the airport.
Strong consecutive explosion sounds were detected at least twice in the central and northern parts of Riyadh.
A resident in the Al-Arid district of northern Riyadh told media outlets about the extreme fear they experienced at the time, stating that birds flew away in panic immediately after the explosion sound and the entire house shook.
This latest series of attacks comes just a day after a disaster targeting King Khalid Airport the previous day, which killed 13 multinational civilians—including four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, as well as nationals from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, and India—and injured around 300 people.
The death toll from the previous day's Houthi attack was initially tallied at 12, but rose to 13 after the Indian Embassy announced that one of the injured Indian nationals had died.
Saudi Arabia has been plunged into great shock following the third airstrike targeting Riyadh Airport within the past week, which marks the worst human casualties in about a decade.
Authorities have completely suspended operations at Riyadh Airport to conduct damage recovery and safety assessments, and urgently transitioned all in-person classes for students and faculty members in Riyadh to remote learning from October 11 through Thursday.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that in response to Saudi aggression, they successfully carried out four operations over the past 24 hours using ballistic and cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).
He claimed that Saudi Arabia carried out 124 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, and as retaliation, they targeted King Khalid International Airport in three stages starting from the evening of October 9, which paralyzed air traffic and completely closed the airport.
He added that they also precisely struck Saudi Aramco's Shugqaiq gas facility and the Tanajib refinery in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, causing massive fires, and directly hit King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in the east, halting its operations.
Separately, Saree emphasized that they launched a precision strike using six ballistic missiles and two drones targeting Saudi troops gathered in the Ras Al-Aara and Al-Sakiya areas, resulting in dozens of enemy casualties.
Furthermore, through X, he stated, "We repeatedly warn all airlines, experts, airport workers, and travelers not to use Saudi airports and airspace."
They threatened, "Except for the airports in the holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina, Saudi airports are vulnerable to strikes and have become operational theaters for our military. You must take our warning seriously, and the sole responsibility for defense failures rests with Saudi Arabia."
On this day, the Houthi rebels also claimed that Sanaa International Airport in Yemen's capital, which they control, was attacked once again by the Saudi-led coalition.
Al-Masirah TV, a broadcaster operated by the rebels, pointed to Saudi Arabia as the mastermind behind the attack without disclosing specific damage details.
The scale of the damage at Sanaa Airport remains unknown.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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