Riyadh airport shut to flights as airlines suspend Saudi services
After an attack that killed 12 and injured 309, King Khalid airport is closed to air traffic. The Houthis claimed the attacks; Trump plans to speak to the crown prince.
Photo: Kharbaan Ghaltaan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · DW News · youtube.com
All flights to and from Riyadh have been suspended or diverted after the latest attack on King Khalid International Airport, ABC reported, with hundreds of services cancelled and no indication of when the airport will reopen. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority put the toll at 12 dead and 309 injured. The Houthis said they attacked King Khalid and Abha airports with ballistic missiles and drones.
The Iran-backed Houthis, according to ABC, describe the attacks as retaliation for Saudi-backed air strikes on Sanaa airport in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthis, called the attack a "fully-fledged war crime" and vowed a firm response.
President Donald Trump said Washington was weighing whether to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis: "We may, we're going to look at it." He said he planned to speak to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The US, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada are among governments warning against travel to the airport, while Lufthansa Group, flydubai, Air India and Pakistan International Airlines have suspended Saudi flights for varying periods.
