Several people have been injured in a new attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia announced. The exact number of injured has not yet been announced.
“The King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was subjected to a new attack“, the department's statement, published in X, states. It specifies that there are casualties and that the assessment of the damage and the security inspection of the facilities are being carried out in coordination with the competent authorities.
Operations at the airport have been temporarily suspended. The international terminal remains closed while emergency crews and security services assess the situation and assess when flights can resume.
New attack a day after deadly attack
The new attack came a day after a missile strike on the airport's passenger terminal, which killed 12 people and injured 309 others. Saudi authorities said that among the victims were four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. Some of the injured were in critical condition.
There was also material damage to the airport's infrastructure. Authorities did not say whether there were any casualties or how serious the damage was.
Houthi claims responsibility
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said a missile hit a passenger terminal at the airport. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on the airport and warned airlines and passengers to avoid Saudi airspace.
It was the latest attack on Riyadh's airport in days. Earlier attacks killed three other Saudi citizens, including a pilot. The Saudi-led coalition called the deadly Oct. 10 strike a war crime and said it would respond decisively.
Sources: apnews.com, aljazeera.com, gulfnews.com