Saudi capital airport hit again, sparking evacuations, reports say

What the report says

Reports from Riyadh said King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital was evacuated on Saturday after a loud blast, with international news agencies citing witnesses and seeing ambulances heading to the scene. The airport advised passengers to check with airlines before travelling. Saudi authorities had not publicly commented in the material provided by BBC World News.

The reported incident came a day after Saudi officials said three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in two previous strikes claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. BBC World News also noted that two other people had been killed in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports earlier in October. The article described this as part of a renewed escalation in the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen.

According to the BBC’s background, the Houthis say they are targeting Saudi Arabia because of its support for government forces in Yemen’s civil war. The article also placed the attacks in the wider context of the Yemen war, the Saudi-led coalition formed in 2015, and the temporary ceasefire that later weakened. This latest reported airport disruption matters because Riyadh airport is a major international hub and the attacks have raised concerns about the security of Saudi civilian and transport infrastructure.