Saudi Arabia Reports Second Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport in Two Days
Houthi rebels claim responsibility for attacks that killed at least 13 and injured hundreds, warning airlines to avoid Saudi airspace.
Saudi Arabia's capital experienced a second strike on its international airport in as many days on Sunday, according to officials. A projectile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, igniting a fire in a passenger hall, a Saudi military spokesman reported. Injuries were sustained, the kingdom's civil aviation authority stated.
The incident follows a deadly strike on the same airport the previous day, which resulted in 13 fatalities and 308 injuries. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for both attacks, issuing a warning to airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace.
The Houthis stated that the strikes were in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's support of government forces in Yemen's civil war and an earlier airstrike on Sanaa airport. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki confirmed that air defenses had intercepted a missile near Riyadh's airport and that authorities were managing the fire.
The attacks have drawn international attention. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting indicated that the UK could offer further support to Saudi Arabia, while US President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would soon decide on a response, potentially involving strikes against the Houthis.
Saturday's strike was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since conflict involving Israel, the U.S., and Iran began in February. The nationalities of those killed included four Saudis, two from Bangladesh, and one each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. An Indian national succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack, according to the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, vowed to continue escalating operations within Saudi Arabia, identifying Saudi airports as potential targets, excluding Mecca and Medina. The UK Foreign Office has advised against travel to certain areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly near the Yemen border, and other Western embassies have issued similar warnings to their citizens.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the attack. The Saudi-led coalition denounced Saturday's strike as a "war crime" and blamed the Houthis. Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported an airstrike by the "Saudi enemy" on Sanaa International Airport, a claim Saudi Arabia has not confirmed and which could not be independently verified.