One killed, 11 injured in second Houthi strike on Riyadh airport in two days
Riyadh's international airport has been struck for the second time in two days, killing one person and injuring 11 in an escalation blamed on Yemen's Houthi movement.
Saudi Arabia's capital has come under attack for the second time in two days, after a fresh strike on Riyadh's international airport killed one person and injured eleven others. The attack marks a dangerous escalation against one of the busiest aviation hubs in the Middle East.
It follows an earlier strike on the same airport that killed twelve people, turning a gateway used by millions of travellers into a frontline target. Emergency crews responded to the latest attack as flights were disrupted and officials moved to assess the damage and reassure passengers that the airport remained secure.
The Houthi movement in Yemen, which has fought a long war involving Saudi Arabia, has repeatedly threatened the kingdom's airports and energy infrastructure, and has used drones and missiles to strike deep inside Saudi territory before. Attacks on civilian airports are especially alarming for the Gulf's airlines, whose global networks depend on the region's reputation as a safe crossroads between East and West.
Two attacks in forty-eight hours will raise hard questions about the air defences protecting the Saudi capital, and about how far this round of fighting could spread. Saudi officials have vowed to defend the kingdom's territory and its people, while travellers and airlines alike will be watching anxiously to see whether the strikes continue.
Riyadh's airport is more than a local landmark. It is a symbol of the kingdom's push to open itself to the world, welcoming tourists, business travellers and pilgrims in ever greater numbers. Each strike therefore lands twice: once on the runway, and once on the image Saudi Arabia is trying to build. That may be precisely the point of the attacks — and precisely why the response from Riyadh is being watched so closely across the region.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.
