Riyadh airport extends suspension after weekend attacks

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation body has extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. Ajel English reports the suspension is intended to allow for the completion of safety and readiness checks, while Channel News Asia notes that authorities have not specified when operations might resume.

The attacks have resulted in varying casualty figures across different reports. Euronews states that a missile strike on October 10 killed at least 13 people and injured hundreds. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation reported 12 deaths and 309 injuries, identifying the deceased as four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan, according to Malay Mail.

New Voice of Ukraine cites an Associated Press report stating a strike on October 11 killed one Pakistani national and injured 11 others.

In response to the security concerns following the Riyadh missile explosion, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has advised Malaysians to temporarily postpone non-essential travel to Makkah and Madinah for Umrah. Malay Mail reports that no Malaysians were killed or injured in the attack on King Khalid International Airport or an incident involving a projectile near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Brief written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia, Euronews, Malay Mail, Ajel English, New Voice of Ukraine — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.