Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation announced yesterday an extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to complete procedures verifying the safety of the airport’s facilities and their operational readiness, in co-ordination with the relevant authorities.
The decision follows the temporary suspension of airport operations last Saturday after the airport had been targeted in an attack.
The authority’s latest announcement did not specify a date for the resumption of operations, with the return of air traffic dependent on completing verification of the safety and operational readiness of the facilities.
At least 13 people have been killed in Houthis attacks on the airport, with hundreds of others wounded.
The coalition fighting Houthis separately said it destroyed ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh, Khamis and Mushait.
Saudi television channel Al Arabiya broadcast footage of the Houthi militia’s attack on the airport, including scenes showing Umrah pilgrims preparing to board their flights before the attack.
Meanwhile, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President Anwar Gargash said yesterday that there was a need to revive joint Gulf action, particularly in the fields of security and defence.
“Since the assault against the Arab Gulf states began, based on the aggressor’s wrong assumption that they were the weakest link in a war we had sought to avoid, it has become clear that we are all targets and that our security is indivisible. The targeting of Saudi Arabia undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states,” he wrote in a post on X.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that Britain would consider any requests for further support from Saudi Arabia, which has been attacked by Iran-aligned Houthis.
Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will send the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, to parliament to be ratified in the coming days.
Speaking following the cabinet meeting, Erdogan also said Türkiye strongly condemned the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia and stood with Saudi brothers and sisters against these attacks.
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