Houthis claim new attack against airport in Saudi capital as witness reports evacuation

CAIRO — Several explosions were heard in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh on Thursday, including a large blast at the city’s international airport, a witness said, a day after the kingdom said an attack on the airport killed one person and wounded others.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed the new attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, saying the ballistic missile caused damage but giving no evidence. The Saudis had no immediate comment about the claim.

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said they intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, along with a ballistic missile fired toward Khamis Mushait, in the southwest near the Yemen border.

The Houthis have repeatedly claimed attacks against Saudi airports, military and oil facilities in recent days. Early Thursday, the rebels warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which it called a theater for its military operations.

The latest blasts had an immediate effect on markets and oil prices as the price of crude jumped.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh “closed again,” the Flightradar24 monitor said on X. “Last landing 80+ minutes ago. Last take off 90+ minutes ago.”

Fire and ambulance crews had deployed and smoke was visible, the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

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The witness said outgoing flights were halted and passengers were instructed to leave checked-in luggage behind and evacuate. It was not immediately clear how many flights were disrupted.

Saudi aviation and other authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

On Wednesday, Saudi officials said two attacks on airports claimed by the Houthis had killed three people, as the kingdom was pulled deeper into the latest front in the Iran war.

They were the first deaths since Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air offensive aimed at retaking territory that the Houthis seized a month ago along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The attack on King Khalid airport killed a Sudanese national and wounded eight other people, and the attack on Abha airport killed Moroccan and Algerian residents and wounded 28 others, officials said.

Attacks on the kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter, have raised alarm. The rebels’ presence on the Bab el-Mandeb poses a threat to the crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has been curtailed due to the Iran war.

The deadly attacks quickly brought condemnation from countries including Britain, India, the United Arab Emirates and others amid fears of an escalation.

Also Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said forces destroyed a platform in Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa that had been used to launch attacks on the Saudi capital. The AP could not independently verify these claims.