At least 12 individuals have been killed and 309 injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to vow a decisive response in opposition to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The coalition blamed the Iran-backed group for the attack, describing it as a “full-fledged war crime”, whereas a diplomatic supply attributed the strike to a missile.
The attack got here amid an unprecedented wave of Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia following the collapse in July of a truce in the long-running conflict between the group and Yemen’s internationally recognised authorities, which is backed by Riyadh.
The escalating violence has raised fears of a wider regional battle, with US President Donald Trump indicating that Washington might be a part of navy motion in opposition to the Houthis.
One passenger advised AFP that they witnessed a strike on the airport’s home terminal.
“I was on gate 403,” the witness mentioned. (*12*)
According to Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority, these killed included 4 Saudi residents, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen every of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan, in addition to one Palestinian.
The authority mentioned among the 309 injured have been in critical situation.
Airport operations have been suspended following the attack, whereas authorities started assessing the harm.
A medical supply mentioned well being officers had activated an uncommon mass call-up of medical doctors to reply to what was described as a “serious emergency situation”.
Two medical doctors advised AFP that a number of pilgrims travelling to Mecca have been among the many injured. Schools in Riyadh additionally switched to distant studying for the second time in a month.
Parents in the Saudi capital obtained emails on Sunday, seen by AFP, citing an schooling ministry directive that every one faculties in Riyadh would conduct classes remotely for all the week.
Coalition vows response
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki condemned the attack in an announcement posted on X.
“The cowardly terrorist attack by the Terrorist Houthi Militia… which resulted in deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport staff, constitutes a full-fledged war crime,” he mentioned.
Earlier, the coalition had introduced that it intercepted missiles concentrating on Saudi Arabia and destroyed launch platforms.
The Houthis claimed a sequence of assaults concentrating on the airport on Thursday, which killed three individuals and broken an plane. However, the group had not instantly claimed duty for the newest strikes reported on Saturday.
The newest attack was described because the deadliest on Saudi soil since May 2015, when a suicide bombing by the Islamic State militant group killed 21 worshippers at a Shia mosque in the jap Qatif governorate.
Trump alerts potential US involvement
Yemen’s civil conflict intensified once more in July following the collapse of a four-year, United Nations-brokered truce, amid a wider Middle East battle that has disrupted regional safety and power markets.
Saudi Arabia has led a global coalition supporting Yemen’s authorities militarily since 2015 and is now going through renewed strain because the battle in its neighbouring nation escalates.
Asked on Saturday whether or not he had modified his thoughts about becoming a member of Saudi strikes in opposition to the Houthis, Trump mentioned: “We may.”
He mentioned he deliberate to talk with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, describing the attack as “not acceptable”.
US media retailers have reported that earlier Saudi requests for American navy help in opposition to the Houthis had been rejected.
The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies in Saudi Arabia warned their residents to keep away from the airport following the attack.
A senior Western diplomat advised AFP that a number of embassies have been prohibiting their employees from utilizing the airport over the next week.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he referred to as the “heinous attack” and reaffirmed Islamabad’s dedication to Saudi Arabia’s safety below their defence pact.
The attack additionally got here shortly earlier than Saudi Arabia’s high-profile conference and leisure season, which begins this month. Riyadh sometimes hosts a packed calendar of occasions, together with a serious funding convention attended by international leaders and enterprise executives.
Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni authorities forces have been advancing in opposition to the Houthis in areas across the Bab al-Mandab Strait that the group captured final month, navy sources advised AFP.
The Yemeni authorities introduced a counter-offensive final week geared toward retaking all territories held by the Houthis.
The rebels confirmed that authorities forces had launched assaults in the Bab al-Mandab space, a strategic chokepoint for oil and cargo shipments by way of the Red Sea, however claimed to have repelled the offensive.
Claims by the combatants have been troublesome to confirm independently amid quickly altering battlefield situations and restricted entry for journalists.
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