E-Paper
Riyadh airport ops halted, Houthis' fresh warning: Major escalation after latest strike kills 12 in Saudi
After Saturday's airstrike on Riyadh airport, US President Donald Trump said he was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis.
Prefer HTon Google
Flight operations at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia reportedly remained suspended on Sunday after a deadly Houthi strike killed 12 and left over 300 injured on Saturday. The halt will continue until further notice, news agency AFP reported, citing sources.
"Riyadh airport has suspended operations again today. They informed us of this at dawn," a senior official was quoted as saying by AFP.
The report, citing sources, said that radar and communications equipment have been damaged, while the runways also needed to be assessed, following Saturday's Houthi offensive at Riyadh airport.
Also read: ‘Completely unacceptable’: India condemns attack on Saudi's Riyadh airport that killed 12
Deep Dive
Air traffic monitor Flightradar24 noted the suspension, saying "the closure of Riyadh Airport has been extended by another 24 hours, until 21:00 UTC today", in a statement posted on X.
Major escalation in Saudi-Houthi fighting
The latest Houthi attack at Riyadh airport was the second one within a span of two days. On Thursday, three people were killed after the Houthis targeted King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia Airlines aircraft in Riyadh.
Among those killed was a pilot with the national airline, identified as Hamoud Ali Alkalthami. Several others of “different nationalities” were injured in the attacks, the kingdom's civil aviation authority said.
On Saturday, the Houthis once again targeted the airport, marking a major escalation in the conflict after 12 people were killed. US President Donald Trump said he was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision," he told reporters at the White House.
If the US intervenes, the Houthis could halt shipping through a crucial waterway and further restrict the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf, causing a major energy crisis coupled with Hormuz stalemate.
Houthi blames Saudi for fresh airstrikes
The Houthis reportedly said that two airstrikes targeted Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and blamed Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press reported.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry has said that 91 Yemenis have been killed and 168 injured by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks. It said that 60% of those killed were women and children.
Saudi airports on Houthi radar
Saudi airports are on the target list of Houthi attacks, the group has reportedly said, with its military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree urging “everyone to take our warnings seriously."
Also read: Trump weighs joining the fight against Houthis after Saudi capital's airport is struck again
While the Houthis have not directly claimed the responsibility of the airport strike, they threatened new attacks on the kingdom's airports, except for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, warning passengers not to travel.
"The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces," Saree wrote on X.
Arab countries, others condemn airport attack
The latest attack on the Riyadh airport drew condemnations from Arab countries, including Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed concern over the escalation.
“Attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence," Von der Leyen wrote Sunday on X. “They are destabilizing crucial global transport and energy nodes."
