Cairo, Oct 11: The latest attack on the international airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh killed 12 people and injured over 300 others, civil aviation authorities said early Sunday, with some in critical condition. A Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
It was the deadliest attack in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war, whose fronts have expanded to include the recent surge in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
Trump considers joining strikes against rebels
The attack – the latest of several in the past week on the airport – is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies including the United States to provide military support for the kingdom, which has seemingly tried to avoid all-out war with the Houthis.
Shortly after the attack on Saturday afternoon, President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the rebels. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” he said.
For Iran, the fighting puts pressure on a key US ally
The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region. And yet the Saudi energy ministry hours after the latest one was still promoting a major international energy conference set to begin in Riyadh on Sunday. Until recently, the Houthis had been largely on the sidelines of the Iran war. Now the rebels are a way for Tehran to apply pressure on a key U.S. ally.
Saudi Arabia has run low on interceptors
Saudi is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support to the region, regional officials told the AP last month, with one noting that the U.S. has seen its own stock dwindle.
Officials have said US assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of “supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions” in the region. Oman, has played a mediator role at times in the region.
Saudi flight disruptions are growing
The Houthis this week warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.
World leaders condemn Riyadh attack
Leaders and senior officials from across the world have condemned the deadly attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to US media reports.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were among those who denounced the attack, while Pakistan, Qatar, Palestine, Jordan and Malaysia expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
Saturday’s strike was the latest in a series of attacks on the kingdom’s infrastructure amid an intensifying conflict in Yemen. (PTI)