Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Airport Attacked Again... "Airport Operations Temporarily Suspended"

King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, was attacked once again on the 10th (local time), resulting in multiple injuries, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

This is at least the third time King Khalid Airport has been targeted since Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced large-scale attacks targeting Saudi airports and oil facilities on the 5th.

In a statement, GACA said, "Amid continued blatant attacks targeting civilian aviation facilities within Saudi Arabia, King Khalid Airport in the capital, Riyadh, was attacked on the afternoon of the 10th, injuring multiple people," adding that the condition of the injured is currently being assessed.

The authority also announced that it has temporarily suspended operations at King Khalid Airport in cooperation with relevant authorities to comprehensively evaluate the damage and verify the safety of airport facilities.

However, GACA did not specify the exact type of attack launched or the precise scale of the damage.

Citing sources, AFP reported that around 3 p.m. that day, the Houthis targeted civilian facilities including King Khalid Airport, injuring dozens of people, with some evacuated by helicopter and at least five receiving intensive care.

Most of the injured are reportedly Saudi nationals.

Reuters reported that loud explosions were heard at the airport, and about 10 ambulances were seen heading toward the facility as evacuations took place.

The airport issued a brief notice advising passengers to check with their airlines on flight operations before heading to the airport.

The Houthis did not immediately release a statement regarding the attack.

Previously, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed on the 5th that they attacked King Khalid Airport, the Aramco oil facility in the western coastal city of Rabigh, Abha International Airport in the southwest, the nearby Khamis Mushait air base, and military sites in the Asir, Najran, and Jazan regions, and has since claimed almost daily ballistic missile attacks against Riyadh and other areas.

GACA stated that attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid Airport and Abha Airport on the 6th and 7th killed three people—nationals of Sudan, Morocco, and Algeria—and injured 36 others including Saudi citizens, while two attacks targeting King Khalid Airport on the 8th killed three Saudi nationals, including a Saudi airline pilot.

Amid the successive attacks targeting the airport, airlines are sequentially announcing the suspension of flights to and from Riyadh.

Kuwait Airways announced that it is canceling flights to and from Riyadh due to the closure of Riyadh Airport caused by "security conditions."

Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have also canceled multiple flights to and from Riyadh, while the Lufthansa Group and Air India have suspended flights bound for Riyadh.

On the 4th, the Saudi-led coalition and the Yemeni government forces declared the launch of Operation "Dawn of Yemen" to retake Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory, embarking on the recapture of key strongholds along the Bab el-Mandeb strait such as Dhubab and Mocha.

While engaging Yemeni government forces on the ground, the Houthis are retaliating with ballistic missiles and other means targeting the Saudi mainland, which provides aerial support to the Yemeni forces.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.