Airport Strikes Kill 14 in Saudi Arabia, Authorities Say

Saudi authorities reported that two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 and 11 killed 14 people and injured 320, as Saudi Arabia faced growing pressure to defend its airspace and infrastructure from Houthi strikes. Authorities said the first attack killed 13 people and injured 309. A separate strike the following day killed one person and injured 11, and caused a fire at Terminal 4. The figures have been attributed to Saudi authorities in accounts of the attacks. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman said the kingdom’s response would be equally serious. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for strikes on the airport and Saudi energy facilities. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had conducted four operations in the preceding 24 hours using missiles and drones, including attacks on those targets. Saudi officials, as reported in accounts of the kingdom’s defence posture, said interceptor supplies were running low. Saudi Arabia was seeking additional air-defence systems and had approached Pakistan for assistance, according to officials cited in one report.