Passenger terminal at Saudi airport is struck again, a day after 12 were killed - BERITAJA
CAIRO — A projectile struck a rider terminal astatine the world airdrome successful Riyadh connected Sunday, a time aft a rocket deed the aforesaid terminal and killed 12 people, the Saudi-led conjugation fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels successful Yemen said. The Houthis claimed work for those attacks and others.
Saudi authorities said location were injuries successful the latest onslaught connected the King Khalid International Airport analyzable for terminals 3 and 4 for home flights. Saturday’s rocket onslaught was the deadliest successful a gulf Arab federation since the Iran warfare began, pinch 300 different group wounded, immoderate critically. The airdrome was still closed Sunday.
The crisp escalation successful the caller beforehand successful the Iran warfare threatens to tie successful greater U.S. subject involvement, arsenic President Trump has said he is weighing joining the conflict against the Houthis. There was nary contiguous White House remark Sunday.
The latest onslaught successful Riyadh came soon aft the Houthis said the airdrome successful the rebel-held Yemeni superior of Sanaa had been struck again, and blamed the Saudis.
At stake, again, successful this escalation are world supplies and prices of lipid arsenic good arsenic commercialized shipping done a important replacement waterway to the Iran-threatened Strait of Hormuz — on pinch civilians and aviation passim the region.
Trump to speak to Saudi crown prince
Trump connected Saturday besides said he planned to speak pinch Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been seeking assistance.
A U.S. involution could punctual the Houthis to halt shipping done the Bab el-Mandeb Strait astatine the confederate extremity of the Red Sea disconnected Yemen and further restrict the travel of lipid retired of the Persian Gulf. The rebels seized cardinal areas on the strait past period and the Saudi-led conjugation has been trying to prehend them back.
Saudi Arabia is moving debased connected rocket interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy aerial defense support to the region, location officials told the Associated Press past month, pinch 1 noting that the U.S. has seen its ain banal dwindle during the warfare pinch Iran.
Sunday’s onslaught occurred arsenic the Saudis hosted a awesome world power convention successful Riyadh, pinch different high-profile events including an finance gathering connected the horizon. Saudi Arabia nether Crown Prince Mohammed has sought to unfastened much to the world arsenic a business and tourism destination, but the Houthi attacks frighten those efforts.
“There is nary measurement that personification will break our back. We are for illustration a phoenix, we travel retired of the ashes each the time,” the Saudi power minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, said astatine the conference.
He added that the kingdom is besides moving connected pipelines successful summation to the East-West pipeline that was attacked and closed for days past month, pinch nary details.
Houthis target air, subject and lipid facilities
Earlier Sunday, the Houthi-run Health Ministry successful Yemen said a kid was killed and six group wounded successful a suspected Saudi airstrike connected a location successful Sanaa. The ministry besides said 91 Yemenis person been killed by the Saudi-led conjugation successful 5 weeks, 60% of them women and children.
There was nary contiguous remark from Saudi authorities connected the claims.
On Sunday, the Houthis besides claimed attacks connected King Fahd Airport successful the Saudi metropolis of Damma, arsenic good arsenic lipid and state accommodation successful the kingdom’s east. They person targeted the Riyadh airport, which has nary subject facilities, each time since Wednesday.
The rebels again warned “all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travelers against utilizing Saudi airports and airspace, arsenic they are susceptible to onslaught and person go a theatre of operations for our forces.” Several world airlines person suspended flights for varying periods.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group’s subject spokesperson, wrote connected X that airports successful the beatified cities of Mecca and Medina, however, were exempt. The kingdom earlier called Mecca a “red line.”
Deadly airdrome attack
A Saudi connection said the dormant successful Saturday’s onslaught included 4 Saudi citizens, 2 Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese.
The Egyptian female was a formation attendant identified arsenic Azza Ramzy, who worked for Saudi hose Flynas, according to Egyptian state-run TV.
The Syrian female was a widowed mother of 4 who had been surviving successful Saudi Arabia for 5 years, comparative Nisreen Oweida told the Associated Press. The Syrian Embassy identified her arsenic Buthaina Ahmad Oweida.
Iran’s role
Until recently, the Houthis had been mostly connected the sidelines of the Iran war, but they person developed their subject capabilities successful caller years to go 1 of Tehran’s about powerful allies. Now, the rebels are helping Iran to unit a cardinal U.S. ally.
The Saudis and the Houthis began fighting successful 2015, erstwhile Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s civilian warfare connected behalf of the internationally recognized government. Relative calm aft a 2022 ceasefire ended successful July erstwhile the Houthis resumed attacks, saying the Saudis fired connected the Sanaa airdrome arsenic a level from Iran was trying to land.
That revived anger complete the Saudi-led blockade that has mostly isolated Houthi-run areas. The Houthis opportunity they person now imposed a blockade connected Saudi Arabia.
Fighting has escalated, pinch the Saudi-led conjugation providing aerial support for Yemeni authorities forces attempting to reverse caller Houthi gains adjacent the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a important replacement to the Strait of Hormuz, wherever Iran has been attacking ships.
But Ahmed Nagi, the International Crisis Group’s elder expert for Yemen, said the Houthi unit strategies could backfire. “Rather than pushing Riyadh to measurement back, attacks connected captious Saudi infrastructure could make the Saudis much wished to proceed the campaign,” he said.
Magdy, Frankel and Anna constitute for the Associated Press. Frankel and Anna reported from Jerusalem. AP writers Victoria Eastwood successful Cairo, Collin Binkley successful Washington, Sally Abou AlJoud successful Beirut and Omar Albam successful Maarat al-Numan, Syria, contributed to this report.
