International
oi-Ashish Rana
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remained closed on Sunday after a missile attack killed 12 people and injured more than 300, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels issued a fresh warning against using Saudi airports and airspace amid escalating regional tensions.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remained closed Sunday after a missile attack killed 12 and injured over 300, as Iran-backed Houthis warned against using Saudi airspace amid escalating regional tensions and US President Trump considering intervention.
A Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels in Yemen said a projectile struck a passenger terminal at the airport on Sunday, marking another escalation less than a day after Saturday’s deadly attack. The latest strike hit the complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. Authorities did not immediately provide further details about the incident.
The Houthis warned airlines, employees and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, saying these locations were vulnerable to attacks. However, the group’s military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were exempt from the warning.
The repeated attacks have raised concerns about the safety of civilian aviation, with Saudi authorities also moving schools in the capital to online classes. According to Flightradar24, the airport was expected to remain closed until at least 9 pm on Sunday.
The escalation comes as US President Donald Trump considers whether to join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis, potentially widening the conflict. The growing tensions also threaten global oil supplies and commercial shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial alternative route amid threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Riyadh Airport Targeted Again Amid Escalating Conflict
The latest projectile strike occurred as King Khalid International Airport remained closed and authorities shifted schools in the Saudi capital to online classes.
According to Flightradar24, the airport was expected to remain closed until at least 9 pm on Sunday.
The repeated attacks on the airport have heightened security concerns in Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and one of the world’s major oil producers.
Trump Considers Joining Saudi Military Campaign
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. He later said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Any direct US intervention could trigger further retaliation from the rebels, potentially threatening commercial shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
A disruption to this strategic waterway could further restrict the movement of oil from the Persian Gulf, increasing pressure on global energy supplies and prices.
Saudi Arabia Seeks Air Defence Support Amid Missile Threat
Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defence support to the region, regional officials told The Associated Press last month.
One official also noted that the United States had seen its own stock of interceptors dwindle during the war with Iran.
Meanwhile, deeper American involvement in an unpopular regional conflict could create political challenges for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections.
Both Trump and Iran insist that the American election calendar will not influence their decisions on how to end the seven-month-old conflict.
Houthis Warn Airlines Against Using Saudi Airports
Fighting continued in Yemen on Sunday as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed rebels intensified.
The Houthi-run health ministry said a child was killed and six people were wounded in a suspected Saudi airstrike on a house in Sanaa earlier in the day.
The ministry also claimed that 91 Yemenis had been killed by the Saudi-led coalition over five weeks, with women and children accounting for 60 per cent of the deaths. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on these claims.
There was also no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s deadly attack on Riyadh airport. The Houthis have sometimes refrained from claiming responsibility for attacks that attract widespread international condemnation.
However, the rebels have acknowledged targeting Saudi airports and oil installations in recent days.
On Sunday, they issued a fresh warning: “all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces.”
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, wrote on X that airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were exempt from the warning.
Riyadh Airport Missile Strike Kills 12 People
The missile that struck Riyadh airport on Saturday hit the complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, a regional official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
A Saudi statement said the 12 people killed in the attack included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a US citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese.
More than 300 people were injured in the strike, including several who were reported to be in critical condition.
Egyptian Flight Attendant and Syrian Mother Among Victims
The Egyptian victim was identified as Azza Ramzy, a flight attendant working for Saudi airline Flynas, according to Egyptian state-run television.
Another victim, Buthaina Ahmad Oweida, was a Syrian woman and a widowed mother of four who had lived in Saudi Arabia for five years, a relative told The Associated Press. The Syrian Embassy confirmed her identity.
Her niece, Nisreen Oweida, said Buthaina had left Syria during the country’s civil war. She was living in Mecca and had been returning from a visit to her sister in Riyadh when she was killed.
The Houthis had also claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot, and a Sudanese national.
The airport does not have military facilities.
Saudi-Houthi Conflict Intensifies After Ceasefire Period
The Houthis had largely stayed on the sidelines during the early stages of the Iran war. Their recent attacks, however, have opened another front against Saudi Arabia, a key American ally in the region.
Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s civil war in 2015 to support the internationally recognised government against the Houthis.
A period of relative calm following a 2022 ceasefire ended in July, when the rebels resumed attacks. They said Saudi forces had fired on Sanaa airport while a plane from Iran was attempting to land.
The incident revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade, which has largely isolated areas controlled by the Houthis.
Red Sea Shipping Route Raises Global Concerns
The Saudi-led coalition is now providing air support to Yemeni government forces seeking to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea.
Those gains have given the rebels improved surveillance capabilities over shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime corridor connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The waterway has become increasingly important as Iran threatens shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns about the security of global trade and energy supplies.
Any further escalation could expose commercial vessels and civilian aviation to greater risks while disrupting key international transport routes.
Expert Warns Saudi Attacks Could Prolong the War
Ahmed Nagi, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Yemen, warned that the Houthis’ strategy of targeting critical Saudi infrastructure could produce the opposite of its intended effect.
“Rather than pushing Riyadh to step back, attacks on critical Saudi infrastructure could make the Saudis more determined to continue the campaign,” he said.
(With Inputs From PTI)
