Saudi capital's airport hit by second strike in two days
Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was struck for a second time in two days on Sunday, a day after an attack there killed 13 people. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the strikes and warned airlines and passengers to avoid Saudi airports.
King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh was hit by a second strike in two days on Sunday, officials said. A Saudi military spokesman said a projectile struck the airport and started a fire in one of its passenger halls. The country's civil aviation authority reported injuries.
A strike on Saturday against the same airport killed 13 people and injured 308. It was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the war between Israel, the US and Iran began in February. Similar strikes had already occurred earlier in the week.
Who claimed responsibility
Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are fighting government forces in Yemen's civil war, claimed responsibility. They say they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for those government forces, and over an air strike on Sanaa airport. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said "the Saudi enemy" had struck Sanaa International Airport; Saudi Arabia has not confirmed this, and the BBC has been unable to verify the claim.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree vowed to continue "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia". He said Saudi airports, apart from those in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, were "potential targets". The Houthis said they had used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones against the airport over the past 24 hours.
Casualties and reaction
Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said air defences intercepted a missile near the airport while authorities dealt with the fire. The coalition called Saturday's attack a "war crime" and vowed to respond.
The dead included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh, and one each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. The Indian embassy said an Indian man had died of injuries from the attack.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested Britain could "potentially" give Saudi Arabia more support. US President Donald Trump said Washington would "make a decision" and "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was "appalled". The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of Saudi Arabia, including areas within 10km of the Yemen border.
