Saudi Authorities Say 3 Killed in Houthi-Claimed Attacks on Riyadh Airport

An airline pilot and two other Saudi citizens died in attacks targeting Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia airlines plane, according to the kingdom's civil aviation authority. Dozens of individuals from various nationalities sustained injuries in the incidents. These attacks marked the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in neighboring Yemen initiated a major military offensive against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels last weekend.

The assaults also represented a significant escalation in the ongoing Iran conflict, which has caused volatility in oil prices and financial markets. U.N. special envoy Hans Grundberg informed the U.N. Security Council that the situation in Yemen remained "highly fluid," with civilians bearing the brunt of the intensifying violence in a nation already experiencing severe humanitarian crises and food insecurity.

By Friday afternoon, over 124 flights to and from Riyadh had been canceled, with hundreds more postponed the previous day. Airlines such as Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group, and Pakistan International Airlines suspended flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for the ensuing days due to the circumstances in the Middle East.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has updated its guidance on Saudi airspace, acknowledging the Houthis' capability to strike targets within the country, including Riyadh, and emphasizing the heightened risk associated with aviation infrastructure, recurrent missile and drone attacks, and the activation of air-defense systems.