Arabic version: السعودية تمدّد تعليق الرحلات في مطار الرياض
According to The Guardian, Saudi Arabia has suspended all flights to and from Riyadh’s main international airport until next Saturday after further Houthi missile attacks caused additional damage and left one person dead. Gulf Air and Bahrain Air had already said they would cancel flights until next Saturday. Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson said more missiles were fired at Saudi cities on Monday.
The suspension followed a strike on Saturday at King Khalid international airport, Riyadh’s second-busiest airport, in which Houthi missiles killed 13 people and injured more than 300. Saudi state television aired CCTV footage showing passengers in a terminal being hit by smoke and falling masonry while queueing to board a plane.
Saudi Arabia continued to host the 25th WPC Energy Conference in Riyadh, although some senior oil executives did not attend or joined virtually. Energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said that “fear has no place in the Saudi lexicon”. Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser said the country had invested heavily to protect supplies, while warning that no nation could safeguard them alone.
An urgent review is examining how Houthi missiles have repeatedly penetrated Saudi air defences. The group has also targeted Khamis Mushait and King Fahd international airport in Dammam, and has vowed to attack airports across the country. Attacks since last month have hit fuel tanks and warehouses at Riyadh airport, destroying a parked Airbus A320 and damaging at least five other aircraft.
In Yemen, fighting continued in and around Taiz, where Saudi planes carried out eight strikes on gatherings of Houthi forces. As many as 60 fighters from both sides died on Sunday. On the diplomatic front, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan about possible mediation. A UN security council meeting in New York on Tuesday is expected to discuss a resolution calling the Houthis a foreign terrorist organisation.
