Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said three civilians were killed Thursday and several people were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Fire at Riyadh airport following the strike on an aircraft
(Credit: Reuters)
In a statement posted on X, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said the first strike targeted airport facilities, while the second hit an aircraft belonging to Saudia, the kingdom's state-owned national airline..
The injuries ranged from minor to serious, and the strikes caused property damage, the authority said, adding that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.
It should be noted that AFP reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the incident, that three aircraft were damaged in the attack.
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen said Thursday that they had attacked the airport with two cruise missiles. They also claimed to have targeted the airport in the southwestern Saudi city of Najran with ballistic missiles, a claim Saudi authorities have not confirmed, as well as an air base in Khamis Mushait.
According to Saudi officials, the missile launched toward Khamis Mushait was intercepted, along with two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh. However, Saudi Arabia said the interception of one of the missiles over Riyadh caused damage to a kindergarten and a medical center.
The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom because of its support for government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war. Saudi Arabia, for its part, says it is backing an offensive by Yemen's internationally recognized government to retake territory captured by the Houthis.
Houthi attacks on Saudi cities have intensified in recent days, with many targeting airports in an effort to disrupt the kingdom's aviation sector and "close its skies." The attacks are retaliation for extensive Saudi airstrikes against the rebels, carried out in support of Yemeni government forces fighting them on the ground.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that three people had been killed in earlier attacks this week on airports in Riyadh and the city of Abha.
On Thursday afternoon, severe disruptions were reported at Riyadh airport following the strike. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the airport was effectively shut down after the attack.
An eyewitness told The Associated Press on Thursday that firefighters and ambulances had rushed to Riyadh airport, where smoke was rising. He said passengers were instructed to leave behind luggage they had already checked in and evacuate the airport.