Another attack on Riyadh airport leaves one dead
It is the fourth strike on the Saudi airport in five days, and it will stay closed until at least Thursday, an aviation source says.
A projectile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Sunday night. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported one dead, a Pakistani resident, and 11 injured who were taken to several hospitals, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera places the impact at terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. Reuters relayed the account of a passenger taxiing on a plane: the projectile landed on the runway, next to parked aircraft, and started a fire.
It is the fourth attack on the airport in five days. Saturday's was the deadliest: the Saudi-led coalition reported 12 dead and more than 300 injured, and India's embassy confirmed on Sunday the death of an Indian citizen from those injuries, bringing Saturday's toll to 13. AFP counts at least 18 dead in the recent attacks, according to RTÉ. Al Jazeera's figures add up to 17, and there is no single official count.
On Monday GACA extended the suspension of operations with no reopening date, saying it must verify the safety of the facilities. An aviation source who tracks Gulf flights told AFP they were told the closure would last "until at least Thursday." Riyadh's metro stopped service at three nearby stations, and schools in the capital will hold classes online until that day.
Authorities have not said who fired Sunday's projectile; the coalition described it as "unidentified." Al Jazeera and AFP attribute the recent attacks to the Houthis, the Iran-backed Yemeni movement, but neither reproduces a claim of responsibility from that group for Sunday's.
The backdrop is the United States and Israel's war on Iran, which began in late February, and the resumption last month of fighting in Yemen. Riyadh restricted press access to the attacked sites. It is not yet known when the airport will reopen.
