A fresh Riyadh airport attack on Saturday afternoon forced the suspension of all operations at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said several people were injured and that the exact number was still being assessed.
Riyadh airport attack: damage assessment under way
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, GACA said operations would remain suspended pending a full damage assessment and verification of the safety of the airport’s facilities. Mehr News Agency reported that the airport was evacuated, while airlines including Qatar Airways, Etihad and Kuwait Airways cancelled flights to Riyadh.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Yemen said Sanaa had not yet claimed responsibility for the latest strike. Yemen’s armed forces have, however, warned aviation companies that any aircraft operating in Saudi airspace, except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is a target.
Read More: “Airport for Airport”: Yemeni Strikes Disrupt Saudi Flights
Several strikes in one week
GACA said on Friday that three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, were killed in two attacks on the same airport on Thursday. According to Al-Manar, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced on Thursday that King Khalid airport had been hit with two cruise missiles, with Najran airport and the Khamis Mushait airbase targeted by ballistic missiles.
Sanaa describes the operations as a response to Saudi aggression on Yemen, including strikes on Sanaa airport and a years-long blockade.
Sources: Asharq Al-Awsat, Mehr News Agency, Al Jazeera, Al-Manar
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