The United Kingdom strongly condemned Saturday’s attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the temporary suspension of operations at the airport after a number of injuries were recorded, with efforts under way to determine their number.
Britain condemns attack on King Khalid Airport
Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East, Stephen Doughty, said on the X platform: “We strongly condemn the attack that targeted King Khalid International Airport today, and stand in solidarity with all those affected by it.” He also urged British citizens to follow guidance issued by the Saudi authorities. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the airport was attacked on Saturday afternoon, amid what it described as continuing “blatant attacks targeting the Kingdom’s civil aviation facilities”.
It added that the incident caused injuries, noting that the relevant authorities were working to determine their number. The authority said the suspension of operations would continue until the assessment of the damage was completed and the safety of the airport facilities verified, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
It confirmed that it would announce updates on the incident and operational procedures at a later time. The attack came after weeks that saw an increase in Houthi attempts to carry out attacks on areas inside Saudi Arabia, which were intercepted by air defences, alongside continuing clashes in Yemen between the Yemeni armed forces and Houthi militias.
