Authorities don tok say several people injure for another attack on international airport for Saudi capital Riyadh. Di attack happen days after Yemen Houthis claim say dem carry out similar strikes on di hub. Operations for King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh stop on Saturday after di attack, Saudi Civil Aviation Authority tok for statement. More than dozen ambulances rush to di airport, according to Reuters wey cite one eyewitness. US embassy tok say dem dey aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport and urge American citizens to avoid di airport and areas around am.
Di attack come one day after authorities tok say three Saudis including pilot die for two attacks on di airport by Iran-backed Houthis di day before. Another three people die for Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October. One source for local hospital tell AFP say dozens wounded for Saturday attack. One eyewitness wey tok say e dey domestic terminal tell di news agency say e see gate 401 hit and ‘injured people in front of my eyes’, adding say ‘Everyone was running.’
Western embassies for Saudi Arabia don warn their citizens make dem stay away from di airport. UK Foreign Office tell British nationals make dem stay away ‘until the airport is secure and to monitor the advice of the Saudi authorities’. Several Gulf airlines tok say dem cancel flights to and from di airport, with Kuwait Airways citing di ‘security situation’ there. All flights to Riyadh either divert or cancel, aviation tracker Flightradar show.
Doctors don get instruction make dem report to hospitals to address di situation, one medical source tell AFP. ‘We were told we are dealing with a serious emergency situation,’ di medical source tell di agency.
Di suspected attack come during marked escalation for renewed fighting between Yemen Saudi-backed government forces and Houthis, wey control most of country north-west. Houthis tok say dem dey target Saudi Arabia over support for government forces for Yemen civil war. Di conflict worsen after Houthis seize strategically important stretches of Red Sea coast for rapid offensive. That one include port of Mokha on Bab al-Mandab Strait, wey be narrowest point of Red Sea and chokepoint for global shipping.
Yemeni pro-government forces since tok say dem don ‘secure’ di strait at southern end of Red Sea. Saudi-led coalition form for 2015 after Arab countries join forces to stop Houthis from taking over Yemen from di country internationally recognised government. Temporary ceasefire broker for 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting lead to deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, wey trigger one of world worst humanitarian crises. But di informal truce begin to unravel for July.
Houthis announce ‘maritime embargo’ against Saudi Arabia and begin missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers for Red Sea. Dem tok say dem dey retaliate against wetin dem describe as years-long Saudi blockade and for one air strike on Sanaa airport.
