Symbolic imageHouthis hit Riyadh airport again as airlines suspend Saudi flights
The Houthis claimed a third attack on Riyadh's airport on Thursday, after earlier strikes on Saudi airports killed three people. The Saudi-led coalition vows punishment.
The Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at Riyadh airport, Najran airport and the Khamis Mushait air base, according to Le Monde. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said two missiles aimed at Riyadh and one at Khamis Mushait were intercepted, while airport sources told dpa that debris fell on a terminal building. The earlier strikes on the Riyadh and Abha airports killed an Egyptian, an Algerian and a Sudanese national and injured 36, Saudi civil aviation authorities said. The coalition said the attacks would not go unpunished and that it had destroyed 82 Houthi military targets in response. The Houthis warned that all Saudi oil facilities could become targets.
Airlines suspend flights
The Houthis again urged airlines to stop flying to Saudi Arabia, exempting only airspace over Mecca and Medina. Reuters reports that Lufthansa and Indian airlines have suspended flights to Riyadh, and Flightradar24 showed numerous delays at King Khalid airport.
Turkey and Syria weigh support
Reuters reports that Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara is weighing defence support for Saudi Arabia and rules out an offensive role. A US and a Syrian military official said Syria is considering defensive aid or an offensive deployment, but the Syrian president's media adviser Ahmad Zaidan denied that Riyadh requested troops. A Syrian diplomat said any cooperation would run through official channels.