Several people are believed to have been injured after an explosion at Saudi Arabia’s capital airport, only days after the facility was targeted by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Officials said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh came under attack again today, prompting an emergency evacuation at the major international transport hub.
Witnesses described seeing several injured people on the ground as more than a dozen emergency vehicles headed towards the airport. Residents also reported hearing two powerful blasts.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar showed that flights bound for Riyadh had been diverted or cancelled. At one stage, only a helicopter was seen hovering above the airport.
Canada’s embassy urged its citizens not to travel to the airport, citing “ongoing military activity” in the area.
The Houthis have not yet commented on today’s reported strike, although the group has claimed responsibility for attacks carried out earlier this week.
King Khalid International Airport has now been targeted twice this week. The attacks have reportedly killed four people, injured others and caused extensive damage to an aircraft.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched two cruise missiles at the airport on Friday, heavily damaging a passenger aircraft. He added that ballistic missiles were also fired at Najran airport and Khamis Mushair airbase during the same operation.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh (pictured) was reportedly targeted again today
An emergency evacuation was launched at the international airport after flights to Riyadh were diverted or cancelled
Wreckage from the Saudia Airlines aircraft at King Khalid International Airport after Thursday’s attack
Thursday’s missile strike sparked a fire aboard a commercial aircraft operated by Saudi state carrier Saudia Airlines.
The aircraft was parked at the terminal, located about 20 miles north of Riyadh, and was believed to be empty at the time.
Saudia later confirmed the death of Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami.
Initial reports had indicated that there had been no passengers or crew on board the plane.
The Houthis have warned commercial airlines to stay out of Saudi airspace, describing it as a military zone after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched an offensive against the group earlier this month.
In separate incidents, Saudi officials said fragments from an intercepted missile fell on a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh.
The latest attacks come after Yemen’s civil war intensified again. The conflict began in 2014, when the Houthi movement sought to remove the Yemeni government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.
The Houthi rebels say their strikes are retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s support of Yemen’s government. Riyadh, however, says its military intervention is aimed at helping the UN-recognised authorities regain control of the country.
Saudi Arabia has appealed for backing from the United States and other allies as its airports, military sites and oil facilities continue to face attacks.
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Officials said US assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive.
On Friday, as he left the White House, US President Donald Trump was asked about the attacks on the Riyadh airport and told reporters, ‘It’s not good’ and ‘I’m not happy.’
But there has been no immediate sign of US military support to respond to the attacks.
A thick black column of smoke and flames were shown rising from Riyadh airport on Thursday
The Saudi and Omani foreign ministers spoke by phone about the importance of ‘supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions’ in the region, the kingdom said Saturday.
Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has played a mediator role at times in the region.
As regional chaos deepens, the kingdom has also requested urgent logistical and defensive support from allies such as Turkey and Pakistan to reverse Houthi gains near the strategic Red Sea entrance.
Media reports indicate Syria is even weighing military aid to assist the Saudis, though Syrian presidential advisers have since denied any plans to deploy troops.
The attacks have prompted a number of carriers to suspend or cancel services to the Saudi capital, shortly before Riyadh is due to host major energy and investment conferences.
Organisers of those conferences said on Saturday they would go ahead as planned, and they sought to reassure attendees of their security.
Yemen’s long-running civil war, which paused with a ceasefire in 2022, has erupted again in recent weeks with the Houthis seizing stretches of the Red Sea coast last month, including along the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Their threats to shipping and attacks on Saudi cities and infrastructure have drawn the kingdom back in.
This week, Saudi-backed forces launched a counterattack, taking back some areas around the strait.
However, in a war with several front lines, the Houthis have made gains of their own, surrounding Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz, by taking territory along its main mountain road to Aden.
Houthi fighters participating in an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in Taiz province on October 8
The fighting, which pits the Houthis against a coalition of Saudi-backed forces under the internationally recognised government, has led to a humanitarian crisis in the poorest Arab state, displacing 200,000 people since the conflict resumed.
One US and one Syrian defence official said Syria was carefully considering options for military support, including defensive aid to protect Saudi Arabia from attacks, or an offensive deployment to help take the fight to the Houthis.
In response to a request for comment to the Syrian foreign ministry, a diplomat said Syria stood firmly with Saudi Arabia but that its focus was on domestic priorities such as recovery from its own civil war.
Nato-member Turkey said on Wednesday it was sending mainly defensive and technical support to the kingdom to help in the fight against the Houthis. A Turkish official said this was expected to take the form of military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems.
