Houthis claim strike on Riyadh airport; airlines suspend flights

Yemen's Houthis, an armed group aligned with Iran, said on Thursday, 9 October, that they struck the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile and badly damaged a plane. Several airlines have since halted flights to the city, adding to tension in a region where Yemen's civil war has flared up again.

The group offered no evidence, and Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the claim. Three people briefed on the matter told Reuters that a Saudia Airlines passenger plane parked at a terminal at King Khalid international airport caught fire and was heavily damaged by shrapnel, either from an interception or another projectile. They said no passengers were believed to be aboard, though injuries could not be ruled out.

Witness accounts and cancellations

Witnesses heard explosions in Riyadh, including a large blast at the airport. One witness told the Associated Press that fire and ambulance crews were sent in, outgoing flights were stopped and passengers were told to leave the terminal. A video verified by Reuters showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the airport.

Lufthansa and Air India confirmed they were suspending flights to Riyadh. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed almost half of departures from the airport had been cancelled by 1500 GMT on Thursday, with 31 more cancellations expected on Friday across all Saudi airports.

Earlier strikes

On Wednesday Saudi authorities said three people had been killed this week in strikes on Riyadh airport and Abha airport in the southwest. On Thursday the Houthis stepped up their campaign, trying to close the kingdom's airspace and warning workers to stay away from energy plants, which they said would be targeted. Saudi officials also said debris from an intercepted missile hit a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh.

The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom because it backs government forces in Yemen. Saudi Arabia says it supports an offensive by Yemen's UN-recognised government to retake territory from the group. Over the past month the Houthis have advanced rapidly across Yemen's coastal plain and on Wednesday appeared to gain ground in the south-west as they approached the city of Taiz. Independent observers warn the group may capture Taiz, with signs that forces linked to the Saudi-backed government are pulling back to secure the port city of Aden.

Riyadh is also due to host a major gathering of energy policymakers, the WPC Energy Congress, this week.