▲ King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after being targeted in an airstrike (file photo)
Airstrikes hit an international airport and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia on October 21 (local time), resulting in casualties and spreading the clouds of war from clashes with the Houthis across various parts of the Middle East.
According to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, located in the Eastern Province, was struck on the evening of that day.
GACA stated in a release that the airstrike killed 2 people and injured 8 others.
The fatalities include one Saudi national and one Indian national, while the injured consist of one Saudi, two Indians, two Yemenis, two Bangladeshis, and one Nepali.
The aviation authority stated that the condition of the injured ranges from "minor to severe," and that the extent of material damage, including to airport facilities, is currently being assessed.
Saudi authorities have not disclosed detailed information regarding the perpetrators or the nature of the attack.
The Houthi movement, the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, has not yet released any comments regarding this attack.
However, foreign media outlets point out that the Houthis have recently intensified attacks on Saudi airports and other targets, and since King Fahd Airport has previously been targeted by Houthi missile strikes, they presume the Houthis are behind the latest attack as well.
Spanning a total area of approximately 776 square kilometers, King Fahd International Airport is listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest airport in the world.
It serves as a critical national aviation hub connecting major cities in eastern Saudi Arabia, including Dhahran, where the headquarters of the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco is located.
The Shaybah oil field, one of the world's largest oil fields located in southeastern Saudi Arabia, was also targeted by a drone attack.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that it intercepted a drone targeting the Shaybah oil field facilities operated by Aramco that day.
Debris from the intercepted drone fell onto a subcontractor's vehicle parked on the outskirts of the oil field, sparking a fire that killed two workers—one from the Philippines and one from Nepal—and injured two others from Pakistan and India.
Saudi Arabia is also stepping up the intensity of its attacks targeting the Houthis.
According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, the Houthi-run health ministry announced on October 20 that a fishing boat came under a Saudi attack in Taiz Governorate near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in southwestern Yemen.
Claiming that eight fishermen were killed in the incident, the Houthi health ministry criticized Saudi Arabia for targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including fishermen whose sole livelihood is the sea.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated on October 20 that Saudi Arabia launched 93 airstrikes targeting Yemen over a 24-hour period.
Oil tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz are also unable to escape the shadow of war.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were struck by unidentified projectiles and engulfed in flames.
One tanker was attacked in waters about 20 kilometers off the coast of Oman, while another was struck approximately 55 kilometers off the coast of Iraq.
No casualties have been reported yet.
Damage has continued to mount in the Strait of Hormuz, where three oil tankers collided with sea mines and caught fire on October 20 as well.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that from the previous night until dawn that day, seven oil tankers were targeted or collided with sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving them engulfed in flames or damaged.
If this report is true, it marks the highest number of vessel casualties recorded in a single day in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on February 28.
The IRGC Navy of Iran claimed in a statement that "four of the damaged tankers were struck while transferring crude oil and caught fire, while the other three were disabled after hitting sea mines and sustaining damage."
As the conflict in the Middle East deteriorates, the possibility of U.S. intervention is also growing.
The U.S. Department of State issued an order on that day for employees and their family members stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia to evacuate.
According to Middle East diplomatic sources, family members of U.S. embassy staff residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain are also packing their bags.
Foreign media noted that the U.S. had previously issued evacuation orders for embassy staff in the Middle East before launching its war against Iran in February.
Reuters interpreted this as a potential signal that a U.S. military operation against the Houthis is imminent.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans to resume military strikes against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.
Citing U.S. officials and sources briefed on the matter, the NYT reported that "the two countries are stepping up military exercises ahead of a short but intense operation."
This is reportedly said to include scenarios involving flights over the airspace of Iraq, Iran's western neighbor, as part of strike maneuver drills.
Potential targets discussed include Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, as well as missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) arsenals.
Officials projected that large-scale additional airstrikes could deliver a crippling blow to Iran's economy and ultimately force the Iranian government to make diplomatic concessions.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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