Dozens of people were reportedly injured following an alleged missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Riyadh International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with witnesses describing panic and the evacuation of passengers from the terminal.
A diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the airport was struck by a missile at about 3pm local time. However, Saudi authorities had not officially confirmed the reported attack as of the time of the report.
Witnesses said passengers ran for safety after an explosion at the domestic terminal. One traveller reported seeing injured people near gate 401 while waiting to board a flight at gate 403.
A source at a local hospital told AFP that dozens of people had sustained injuries, with five receiving intensive care. A relative of one victim said the person suffered shoulder and arm injuries from shattered glass.
Three witnesses also confirmed that people were evacuated from the airport following the incident.
The reported attack came two days after deadly strikes claimed by the Houthis hit the airport, killing three people, including a pilot with Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, Saudia. The earlier attacks also caused significant damage to a grounded aircraft belonging to the airline.
Before Saturday’s reported incident, the airport had advised passengers to confirm their flight schedules directly with their airlines before travelling to the facility.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports, oil installations and tankers since a truce in their longstanding conflict with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government broke down in July.
The latest incidents come amid an intensifying conflict across parts of the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia increasingly drawn into the fighting in neighbouring Yemen.
Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched operations to recover territories captured by the Houthis during an offensive last month, including areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic passage for international shipping through the Red Sea.
Military sources told AFP that government forces were advancing in the area, while the Houthis acknowledged the attacks but claimed to have repelled them.
The Yemeni government had previously announced a counter-offensive to regain territory after the rebels seized control of the country’s western coastline.
However, the competing accounts from both sides could not be independently verified, amid difficulties accessing the conflict zone and the rapidly changing security situation.
