Saudi Arabia extends airport closure after 12 killed in suspected Houthi terrorist attack
Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended the closure of its main international airport as Houthi rebels threatened airstrikes across the kingdom, a day after a missile attack killed 12 people and wounded more than 300.Saturday’s strike on the Riyadh airport marked a major escalation of the war between Yemen’s Iran’s-backed Houthis and the kingdom.President Donald Trump said he was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the rebels, a scenario that could prompt the Houthis to halt shipping through a crucial waterway and further restrict the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf.As international leaders spoke out condemning the attack Sunday, the Houthis reported that two airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities or reports of casualties.The Houthi-run Health Ministry says 91 Yemenis have been killed and 168 injured by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks.It said that 60% of those killed were women and children.As Saudi authorities extended Saturday’s airport closure until at least 9 p.m.
Sunday, according to Flightradar24, the Houthis said the kingdom’s airports were attack targets.Brig.Gen.
Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, urged “everyone to take our warnings seriously.”The latest attack on the Saudi airport drew condemnations from Arab countries, including Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, as well as U.N.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.“Attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence,” Von der Leyen wrote Sunday on X.
“They are destabilizing crucial global transport and energy nodes.”The attack struck an airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.The Saudi statement said the dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Pa...