Saudi Arabia has extended the suspension of flights at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport indefinitely following a series of attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement. The attacks have reportedly killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds, while Riyadh has vowed a serious response and the Houthis have threatened further strikes.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport would continue, without specifying when flights might resume, the BBC Russian Service reported.
An AFP source at an airline operating flights to Gulf countries said Saudi aviation authorities had informed carriers that the airport would remain closed at least until the end of the kingdom’s working week. Metro services to three stations serving the airport were also suspended.
The airport has reportedly been targeted four times over the past week. At least 18 people have been killed in the attacks, including 13 in Saturday’s strike, while hundreds more have been injured.
Saudi authorities also reported an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the kingdom’s northeast.
Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry earlier said that no Tajik citizens had been injured in the attacks on King Khalid International Airport. The Tajik embassy is in contact with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry and other relevant agencies, according to the ministry. Two Uzbek citizens were reportedly injured in the attack on Riyadh’s airport.
Saudi Arabia vows serious response
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday that the kingdom would respond seriously to the Houthi attacks. He made the remarks at the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh.
“The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious,” he said.
The minister said the attacks had tested Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure, state institutions and society. He also stressed that energy security could not be taken for granted and assured participants that the authorities remained committed to protecting the country’s energy infrastructure.
Abdulaziz thanked representatives of energy companies and government authorities for attending the congress despite the deteriorating security situation, expressing confidence that the kingdom would overcome the challenges it faced.
Houthis threaten further attacks
The Houthis did not immediately respond to the Saudi minister’s remarks. However, the movement’s military spokesman, Yahya Saria, said in a video address on Sunday evening that attacks on Saudi Arabia would continue.
Saria said Houthi forces had launched missiles and drones at the airports in Riyadh and Dammam, as well as at two oil and gas facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. He described the strikes as retaliation for 124 Saudi airstrikes on Yemen in the preceding 24 hours.
The spokesman warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace, with flights to and from the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina cited as exceptions.
He said the movement intended to intensify attacks on Saudi territory, invoking the principles of “blockade for blockade” and “escalation for escalation.” According to Saria, the operations would continue until hostilities ended and the blockade of Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen was lifted.
On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting a drone and a missile launched towards Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health said a Saudi airstrike on a residential building in the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday killed a child and injured six other people.
The Saudi-led coalition provides air support to Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces, which are fighting the Houthis along the Red Sea coast and in other parts of the country.
International reaction
Saturday’s attack on Riyadh’s airport drew international condemnation.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply shocked by the incident, warning that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law.
US President Donald Trump said he would decide whether Washington would join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis. Media reports have said US military personnel are already providing intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition and helping identify targets for airstrikes.