Houthi strikes unsettle Umrah pilgrims

Attacks on airports disrupt travel as visitors to Makkah and Madina face growing anxiety

RIYADH:

Umra pilgrims visiting holiest Islamic sites in Saudi Arabia have been caught up in the country's air war with Yemen's Houthis, with missile strikes on airports disrupting travel and raising fears among visitors, even as Makkah and Madina remain outside the targets.

Footage of Saturday's blast at a Riyadh airport departure terminal, which killed 13 people and wounded 300, showed passengers wearing the simple white garments associated with Umra. Saudi media reported that a Bangladeshi Imam leading a group of dozens of pilgrims died and others were wounded.

The Houthis have said they will not attack Makkah or Madina, which attract millions of faithful annually, but pilgrims' worries do not go away. "I feel deeply worried for my family and myself," said Fadi Anwar, a Jordanian living in Makkah. He said repeated phone alerts from authorities had caused anxiety.

Sudanese visitor Al Amin Hassan Mohammed was in Riyadh during Saturday's attack. He said he and his neighbours went outside their homes, worried by the blast. Friends who had planned to fly through Riyadh instead travelled by boat to Sudan from Jeddah after their journey was disrupted.

Many pilgrims travel to Makkah throughout the year for Umra. While international visitors often fly directly to Jeddah or Madina, others pass through Saudi Arabia's other major air hubs. The Houthi strikes have forced Saudi Arabia to ground many flights.

Travel disruption has also affected business visitors, tourists and foreign residents seeking to leave the kingdom. Some travellers are making lengthy road journeys to Bahrain, Qatar or Dubai to catch onward flights.

A senior executive told Reuters that arrangements were being made to transport foreign employees by road to Doha. Several embassies have also used Qatar for travel, while a transport company representative said fares to Doha and Dubai had doubled. REUTERS