Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Oct. 8 to have fired ballistic missiles at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and German and Indian carriers have since suspended Riyadh flights. The US State Department urged citizens to stay vigilant, while Saudi authorities said the Riyadh and Abha airports were attacked this week, killing three people.
According to a Central News Agency report carried by Taiwan’s Liberty Times, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Oct. 8 that they fired ballistic missiles at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Saudi officials did not immediately confirm the claim. However, Saudi authorities had said the day before that both Riyadh airport and Abha airport in the southwest were attacked this week, killing three people.
광고 문의 · 300×250Earlier on Oct. 9, a witness and three people familiar with the matter said a parked plane at Riyadh airport was smoking. FlightRadar24 data showed several international flights to Riyadh were cancelled that evening.
Carriers suspend service one after another
Germany’s Lufthansa Group told Reuters it is suspending Riyadh flights through Oct. 16, citing “current developments in the Middle East”. Indian airlines followed: IndiGo cancelled all Riyadh flights through Oct. 9, while Air India and Akasa Air cancelled theirs through Oct. 10. An Air India flight from Delhi to Riyadh turned back to Delhi on Thursday.
The State Department’s consular affairs bureau said on X that the US mission had learned of an attack on King Khalid airport on Oct. 8 and urged all American citizens to remain alert. US government personnel working in Saudi Arabia reportedly need special authorization to use the airport.
Yemen’s civil war has lasted more than a decade and fighting has recently intensified. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni government. With the war involving the US, Israel and Iran in its seventh month, attacks reaching Saudi territory could deepen worries about the safety of Gulf aviation and energy infrastructure.
The Houthi launch claim and the extent of damage at the airport could not be independently confirmed from the reports available. An official Saudi account and the airlines’ resumption schedules will be the markers to watch.