Houthi Claim and Damage at Riyadh Airport
The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen said it had launched a ballistic missile at Riyadh's airport, inflicting serious damage on an aircraft and causing several carriers to stop flying to the Saudi capital. The group did not present any evidence, and Saudi officials gave no immediate reaction to the assertion. Yet three sources briefed on the events told Reuters that fragments from an interception or a different projectile left a Saudia Airlines jet badly wrecked after it ignited while stationary at a terminal on Thursday. Those sources believed no passengers were on board but said injuries could not be excluded.[S1]
Witnesses in Riyadh reported hearing explosions, including a large blast at King Khalid international airport. One witness, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said fire and ambulance crews were deployed. A video verified by Reuters showed a thick black column of smoke and flames rising from the airport. The same witness said outgoing flights were stopped and passengers were told to evacuate the airport.[S1]
Airlines Suspend Flights as Cancellations Mount
Both Lufthansa and Air India said they were halting service to Riyadh. Figures assembled by the aviation analytics firm Cirium indicated that by 1500 GMT on Thursday, nearly 50% of departures from the airport had been scrapped, and a further 31 cancellations were anticipated for Friday across all Saudi airports. These moves came in the wake of the Houthi assertion and the harm done at the airport.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Escalating Houthi Campaign and Regional Context
The episode followed a Saudi statement on Wednesday that three people had died during the week in attacks on Riyadh's airport and on Abha airport in the southwest of the country. On Thursday the Houthis intensified their offensive against Saudi Arabia, seeking to close the kingdom's airspace and cautioning workers to avoid energy facilities, which they threatened to strike. In a separate development, Saudi officials reported that fragments from an intercepted missile had struck a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh.[S1]
The Houthis describe their actions as a response to the kingdom's backing of government forces in Yemen's renewed civil conflict. Saudi Arabia states it supports an offensive by Yemen's internationally recognised government aimed at recovering territory from the Houthis. Over the past month the Houthis have swept rapidly across Yemen's coastal plain, and on Wednesday they appeared to be making gains in the southwest as they neared Taiz. Independent observers warned earlier in the week that the group might be poised to seize Taiz, with indications that forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government were withdrawing to protect the key port of Aden. Riyadh is scheduled to host a major gathering of energy policymakers, the WPC Energy Congress, this week.[S1]
