Saudi Airport Evacuated After Reported Attack
The incident follows claims by Houthi rebels of previous strikes on the same facility.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was reportedly evacuated on Saturday following the sound of a loud blast, according to international news agencies. Eyewitnesses reported seeing more than a dozen ambulances rush to the scene.
Saudi authorities have not yet commented on the incident. The airport advised passengers to verify their flight status with their respective airlines before traveling.
This reported incident comes just a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for two previous attacks on the same airport, which they stated resulted in casualties. Earlier in October, Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7 reportedly killed three people, including a pilot.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed group, have stated their attacks on Saudi Arabia are in retaliation for the kingdom's involvement in Yemen's civil war. Fighting has intensified between the Yemeni government forces, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthis, who control significant parts of northwest Yemen. The conflict worsened after the Houthis seized key areas along the Red Sea coast, including the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital global shipping route.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015. A temporary ceasefire in 2022 brought a period of reduced fighting after years of conflict had led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis. However, this informal truce began to break down in July.
In response, the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and initiated missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea. They have cited a long-standing Saudi blockade and an air strike on Sanaa airport as justifications for their actions.