Saudis reel from attacks as allies debate ‘involvement’

Yemen’s Houthi forces escalated their campaign against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, attempting to shut down the kingdom’s airspace and oil facilities with missile fire that disrupted flights and damaged a kindergarten and medical complex.

Lufthansa and Air India said on Thursday they will suspend flights to Riyadh as the Yemeni group renewed threats against airlines, after claiming a third attack on King Khalid International Airport.

According to data compiled by aviation analytics company Cirium, 49.7pc of departures from Riyadh airport had been cancelled by 1500 GMT, with 31 more cancellations expected for Friday across all Saudi airports.

Flight tracker FlightRadar24 also showed numerous delayed arrivals and departures. The airport did not acknowledge the disruption, pointing only to the “necessity” of contacting airlines before travelling.

A thick black column of smoke and flames rose from Riyadh airport in a video verified by Reuters. A witness and three people briefed on the matter said a stationary commercial plane had caught fire and caused the smoke, though the fire was later put out.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched two ballistic missiles at Riyadh’s airport, one at an airport in Najran and another at an airbase in Khamis Mushait. Saree also ordered workers at Saudi oil facilities to evacuate days after the group hit a major refinery south of the capital.

Around the same time, the Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh and another toward Khamis Mushait.

Shortly after, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency posted on X that “interception debris” had fallen in Riyadh, causing material damage to a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex, without specifying if there were any casualties.

After loud booms echoed across Riyadh on Thursday morning, several multinational firms in the King Abdullah Financial District told staff to work from home or evacuated employees, according to people familiar with the matter.

Diplomats were instructed to shelter in place at their embassies, and at least one international school sent children into a basement for safety. Source: The Dawn.