Houthi Missiles Strike Riyadh Airport: Pilot Among 3 Killed, Hundreds of Flights Grounded
Houthi Missiles Strike Riyadh Airport: Pilot Among 3 Killed, Hundreds of Flights Grounded
New Delhi, October 12 : Three Saudi citizens, including an airline pilot, were killed in attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said. The first attack on Thursday (October 8) targeted airport facilities, while the second damaged a Saudia Airlines plane. Saudia confirmed that one of its employees, Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, died in the attack. According to the airline, the plane was damaged on the ground with no passengers on board.
The Saudi statement did not identify those responsible, though the Houthis claimed to have targeted the airport with a ballistic missile. It was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in Yemen launched a major military offensive against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels last weekend.
This was not the first strike. Earlier in the week, one Sudanese national was killed and eight wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport, while two female residents of Moroccan and Algerian nationalities were killed and 28 wounded in an attack on Abha airport. The Houthis also warned that all global airlines flying in Saudi airspace are at risk. Saudi Civil Defense said debris from one missile interception damaged a children’s nursery and a medical clinic complex in Riyadh.
Air travel took a heavy hit. Flightradar24 reported 335 flights cancelled at Riyadh on October 8, and by Friday afternoon at least 124 more flights to and from Riyadh had been cancelled. Lufthansa Group suspended flights to Riyadh through October 16, while Air India cancelled all flights to Riyadh until October 10. Pakistan International Airlines also suspended flights, and Etihad Airways cancelled eight Abu Dhabi to Riyadh flights on October 9 and 10. Saudi authorities said airport operations had returned to normal.
Meanwhile, Houthi officials said Saudi airstrikes hit Houthi targets in Sanaa overnight, and Saudi allies, including Kuwait and Pakistan, condemned the airport attack.
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