Saudis reel from attacks as allies debate ‘involvement’
• Houthis fire missiles at Riyadh airport, airbases; kindergarten, clinic complex damaged by debris • Lufthansa, Air India suspend flights to Saudi capital; half of all departures cancelled • Nothing in Makkah pact bars members from joining Yemen fight, says Kh Asif • Ankara calls accord ‘purely defensive’, rules out sending troops; Syria weighs deployment RIYADH: Yemen’s Houthi forces escalated…
On Thursday, Yemen's Houthi forces intensified their assault on Saudi Arabia, targeting the kingdom's airspace and oil facilities with missile strikes. This disruption to King Khalid International Airport's operations prompted Lufthansa and Air India to suspend flights to Riyadh, with approximately half of all departures from the capital canceled.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia's civil defense agency reported that debris from intercepted missiles caused damage to a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex in Riyadh, though casualties remain unreported. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement permits allied members to provide support, but differing interpretations exist. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the agreement is strictly defensive and does not allow for military involvement, while Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif emphasized that members would support each other if a member faced a threat.
Syria is also reportedly considering military support, both defensive and offensive, as oil prices surged by over five percent following Saudi Arabia's claims of Houthi missile attacks.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
