NewzJordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Houthi militia's recent attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in the deaths of three people, including a Saudia pilot. The ministry emphasized that the attacks violate Saudi sovereignty and international law, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condolences for the victims. The missile attacks come amid an escalation in fighting between the Iran-backed group and Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government.
Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack. (Reuters pic)RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Friday that three people were killed including a pilot were killed in attacks on Riyadh's international airport, after Yemen's Houthis claimed a series of attacks targeting the facility.The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed government has widened, with the Iran-backed fighters staging repeated attacks on Saudi targets since they began a lightning offensive just across the border.While seizing large swathes of territory along the Red Sea coast in Yemen, the Houthis have also attacked Saudi transport hubs, oil facilities and other civilian targets in the world's largest crude exporter.The Saudi civil aviation authority said two attacks on Thursday on the Saudi capital's airport and a Saudia Airlines plane there "resulted in the martyrdom of three citizens".The national flag carrier confirmed the death of the plane's captain, expressing "profound sadness" and citing an "incident" at King Khalid International Airport.Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government forces it backs have struggled to contain the Houthis' advance, despite a counter-offensive aimed at recapturing territory including the area around the Bab al-Mandab strait that is crucial to global energy flows.But a regional source told AFP on Friday that Riyadh would not bow to the Houthis' "military blackmail" and would not agree to a truce until the Yemeni government regains all territory it has lost in recent weeks.The attacks forced diplomats stationed in the Saudi capital to shelter in place and international schools to take safety measures, as explosions echoed across the city on Thursday.Numerous flights at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were delayed or cancelled, while the airport advised travellers of the "necessity" to contact airlines before their trips.The kingdom's civil defence agency also said "interception debris" had damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh. It did not say if there were casualties there or provide details of the damage.- 'Crisis in everything' -The Houthis, whose heartlands are among the Zaidi Shia Muslims in the northwest, had already controlled the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen's major population centres since the start of the war in 2014.Riy…
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) temporarily suspended its flight operations to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid the worsening situation in the Middle East, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafiz Khan said on Friday. The announcement followed a series of Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi airports and other infrastructure. Saudi authorities said three people were killed and 36 injured, including a Pakistani national, in attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7.
Khan advised passengers to contact PIA’s call centre at 111-786-786 before leaving for the airport to check the latest status of their flights. The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers by the situation, Khan said. PIA flight PK-753 from Islamabad to Riyadh and flight PK-754 from Riyadh to Islamabad were also cancelled.
Read: Riyadh Air begins three weekly flights between Riyadh and Lahore The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday it had intercepted and destroyed multiple ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh and Khamis Mushait in the southwestern Asir region. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said two missiles had been fired towards the Saudi capital and another towards Khamis Mushait. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, saying the strike had disrupted air traffic.
He also warned workers at Saudi oil facilities and airlines operating in Saudi airspace about locations the group had declared targets for its military operations. Houthi attacks Yemen's Houthis have carried out missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia since the Yemen war escalated in 2015, targeting military installations, airports, oil facilities and other critical infrastructure. In September 2019, the group claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq processing facility and Khurais oil field, attacks that temporarily disrupted more than half of Saudi Arabia’s crude production.
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