Houthis mount fresh missiles attack on KSA airport
Saudi authorities suspended operations at Riyadh's international airport on Saturday after a fresh attack there left multiple people wounded.
In the United Nations, Pakistan issued a stern warning to the Houthi militia at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, demanding an immediate halt to ongoing missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabian civilian and economic infrastructure.
Highlighting the serious threat to regional stability, global energy security, and international maritime trade, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, called on the 15-member Council to take decisive action against the Yemen-based militia.
The warning comes amid a devastating wave of Houthi strikes that targeted major Saudi aviation hubsincluding King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airportkilling at least three Saudi nationals, including an airline pilot, and disrupting global aviation.
In this regard, the Pakistani envoy also drew attention of the Council delegates to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent statement reaffirming Islamabad's commitment to the Kingdom's territorial integrity that remains "resolute" under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
"Yemen's descent into conflict is deeply alarming," Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, adding that the escalation of hostilities, continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, threats to commercial shipping, fighting around Taiz and Bab el-Mandeb, and deepening humanitarian crisis demand urgent attention.
Condemning the ongoing Houthi "terrorist" attacks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad called for an immediate end to such "reckless attacks" that pose a grave threat to regional peace and security. "The security and sanctity of the two Holy Mosques must be respected at all times."
Pakistan, he said, reaffirms its support for Yemen's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, and its internationally recognized government.
The Pakistani envoy demanded that Houthis cease attacks on commercial shipping in and around Taiz and Bab el-Mandeb to ensure maritime security.
Freedom of navigation must be upheld, he said. "These vital waterways cannot remain exposed to attacks that endanger seafarers, disrupt trade and compound global economic hardship."
Pakistan, he said, supports UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg's peace efforts, suggesting that all diplomatic channels must be used to contain escalation, maintain communication and facilitate a cessation of hostilities. "These efforts should restore a credible, inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process under United Nations auspices."
Civilians must be protected, the Pakistani envoy stressed. "Safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access, protection of civilian infrastructure, and adequate funding for relief operations are indispensable - food, fuel and essential commercial supplies must reach all those in need."
He also reiterated the call for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of detained United Nations, humanitarian and diplomatic personnel.
"The Council must act with unity and purpose to halt Houthi attacks, safeguard regional security, alleviate suffering and restore a credible path towards a political settlement," Ambassador Asim Ahmad added.
Pakistan, he said, stands with the Yemeni people, supports efforts towards a peaceful, stable and united Yemen, and will continue to make every effort to advance lasting peace and stability in the region.
Ambassador Asim Ahmad, who will soon be leaving his post to take over as Foreign Secretary, took the opportunity to thank his colleagues on the Council, the Secretary-General and UN officials for their cooperation and support during his tenure in New York.
The situation prompted health officials to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors to deal with the "serious emergency", a medical source said, while foreign embassies warned their citizens to avoid the facility.
The Saudi civil aviation authority confirmed an attack had injured several people at the sprawling King Khalid International Airport, with a diplomatic source attributing it to a missile fired by Yemen's Houthis.
The Iran-backed group has repeatedly targeted the facility, claiming a series of strikes on Thursday that killed three people and damaged a plane, though they did not announce any new attacks on Saturday.
A witness at the airport reported hearing an explosion while waiting to board a flight, and another said they saw a strike that left people wounded and fleeing in panic.
"I was on gate 403" at the domestic terminal, the witness told AFP. "I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running."
A medical source told AFP that the health ministry had ordered ER doctors to report to hospitals around the capital to treat the wounded on Saturday.
"We were told we are dealing with a 'serious emergency situation'. Injured are being moved to hospitals across Riyadh", with many in critical condition, the source said.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen's Riyadh-backed government unravelled in July.
Admissions by Saudi authorities of strikes hitting civilian targets are relatively rare, with officials issuing few statements on Houthi attacks in recent weeks.
The aviation authority said the number of injured from Saturday's attack was still being assessed, adding airport "operations had been temporarily suspended pending the completion of an assessment of the damage and verification of the safety of the facilities".
A source at a local hospital said five people were in intensive care there after being wounded at the airport, with "dozens of people injured" in all.
A relative of one wounded person said they had been hit in the shoulders and arms by shattered glass. Three witnesses confirmed people being evacuated from the airport.
Two doctors told AFP that several pilgrims headed to Mecca had been injured while waiting to board their flight.
A diplomatic source briefed on the matter told AFP the airport was hit by "a missile around 3:00 pm" (1200 GMT).
"Houthis are attacking civilian targets. Riyadh airport is a civilian target," the source said.
The Yemen conflict flared back to life after a four-year, UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle Eastern war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets.
The scale and frequency of the recent strikes targeting Riyadh are unprecedented in the eight months of war in the region.
Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that supports Yemen's government militarily, and has found itself drawn deeper into its impoverished neighbour's civil war.
Both Riyadh and the Houthis have signalled a willingness to keep fighting rather than pursue diplomacy.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia said it was "aware of attacks" on Riyadh airport on Saturday and called on American citizens to avoid the area.
The Canadian, German and Spanish embassies also warned their citizens to avoid the facility. Spain's embassy, in a message on X, alerted nationals to a "new attack... by the Houthis".
A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies "indicated that they had decided to prohibit their staffs' travel to/from Riyadh Airport over the next week as a prudential step".
Near the airport, passengers carrying luggage could be seen standing on the pavement at a metro station.
Meanwhile, in Yemen, Saudi-supported government forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas they captured last month around the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources told AFP.
The Yemeni government last week announced a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis, after the group seized the country's entire western coastline in a lightning offensive.
The Houthis confirmed that government forces had attacked in the Bab al-Mandab areaa key chokepoint for Red Sea oil and cargo shippingbut they claimed to have repelled the assault.
Claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation moving fast on the ground and access for journalists difficult.