Flights resume at Riyadh airport after two-week closure as Houthis attack Saudi Arabia
Flights resumed at Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday following a series of deadly attacks on the facility that saw it closed for two weeks , even as Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted the country with strikes. King Khalid International Airport’s website showed several domestic and international flights scheduled on Sunday, including arrivals to the kingdom from Dubai, Paris and Cairo. The…
Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport reopened on Sunday after being shut down for two weeks due to a series of deadly attacks, even as Yemen's Houthi rebels continued to target the country with strikes. Several domestic and international flights were scheduled to arrive in the kingdom from Dubai, Paris, and Cairo on Sunday, according to the airport's website.
However, the renewed operations at the airport came after explosions shook Riyadh early on Sunday, with residents receiving alert messages warning of a hostile aerial threat. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis stated that at least 10 ballistic missiles had been intercepted. Saudi officials did not provide further details on the scope of the airport's operations.
Flightradar24 reported that only a few flights had departed, with the majority being cancelled. The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalated after a truce between the two factions broke down recently. The Houthis have carried out multiple strikes on the airport, including an attack this month that resulted in 13 deaths and over 300 injuries, the deadliest in the kingdom in over a decade.
The group has also targeted oil infrastructure and other locations. The Houthis warned that Riyadh airport remained "unsafe" and a "military target," urging airlines not to use the facility. Later, the group claimed that Saudi Arabia had launched 56 airstrikes and fired missiles at civilian objects in various Yemeni governorates.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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