Saudi: 3 Killed in Attacks on Airport  10/09 06:35

   

   BEIRUT (AP) -- An airline pilot was among three Saudi citizens killed in 
attacks targeting Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia 
aircraft, the kingdom's civil aviation authority said on Friday. Several people 
"of different nationalities" were wounded.

   The attacks on Thursday were the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom 
and allied forces in neighboring Yemen launched a major military offensive 
against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels last weekend.

   They also marked a significant escalation on the latest front in the Iran 
war, which has kept oil prices and financial markets volatile. U.N. Special 
Envoy Hans Grundberg was scheduled to brief the Security Council on 
developments in Yemen later on Friday.

   Hundreds of flights to and from Riyadh were canceled on Thursday, according 
to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

   The Indian Embassy later said Air India had suspended operations through to 
Saturday, while the Lufthansa Group said its airlines would suspend flights to 
Riyadh through to Oct. 16. Pakistan International Airlines has also suspended 
flights to Riyadh because of the evolving situation in the Middle East, an 
airline spokesman said.

   The U.S. Embassy warned citizens on Wednesday of potential airspace closures.

   Yemen's Houthis claim the attack 

   The first attack on Thursday targeted airport facilities, while the second 
struck the aircraft, the Saudi statement said. It did not identify those 
responsible, though the Houthis claimed to have targeted the airport with a 
ballistic missile.

   Among the dead was Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, the Saudia Group said in a 
statement. It appeared to be the first confirmed attack on the Saudi national 
carrier since the new offensive began. A separate Saudia Group statement said 
one of its aircraft was damaged while it was on the ground, with no passengers 
on board.

   The aviation statement also said the injuries to citizens and people of 
other nationalities "ranged from minor to serious." The Saudia Group statement 
later said operational activities at the airport had returned to normal.

   Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had 
destroyed three rocket launch platforms used by the rebels to threaten regional 
security.

   Riyadh airport has been repeatedly targeted 

   The airport in the Saudi capital has come under repeated attack in recent 
days. This week, the Houthis warned global airlines "for the last time" about 
the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described 
as a theater for their military operations.

   On Wednesday, Saudi officials said Houthi-claimed attacks on airports in 
Riyadh and Abha had killed three people.

   Saudi Arabia faces mounting attacks from the Houthis, who declared a 
blockade of the kingdom earlier this year in response to one imposed on them.

   The kingdom has sought support from allies, including the United States. 
Officials said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target 
identification and planning for the latest offensive.

   But President Donald Trump has shown reluctance to expand U.S. military 
involvement in the Middle East and, for now, has not ordered American forces to 
resume strikes against the rebels.

   The U.S. last year carried out a nearly two-month air strike campaign 
against the Houthis in an effort to open international shipping lanes in the 
Red Sea.

   The Houthis had disrupted the waterway for months with their own attacks in 
response to Israel mounting a blockade on the Gaza Strip. Trump halted strikes 
after the U.S. military burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in 
munitions.

   The new Saudi-led offensive aims to retake territory the Houthis seized a 
month ago along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb 
Strait. Their presence there threatens a crucial alternative shipping route to 
the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks on ships have curtailed traffic.