Sunday's strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 other people, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in an update issued in the early hours of Monday. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, and the authority said the extent of material damage was still being assessed. The confirmation makes Sunday's attack — a projectile that hit Terminal 4 and started a fire — the second deadly strike on the airport in two days, after Saturday's attack killed 13 people and wounded 309.
What did the Saudi authorities confirm about Sunday's strike?
GACA initially reported only that people had been injured when a projectile struck Terminal 4 on Sunday afternoon, causing a fire. In its early-Monday update, reported by CNN and Demócrata, the authority specified that a Pakistani resident had died and 11 people had been injured. CNN reported the same toll, attributing it to GACA. The Saudi-led coalition said air defences had intercepted a cruise missile near the airport earlier on Sunday.
The coalition spokesman said in later messages, reported by Demócrata and LiveMint, that Saudi defences also intercepted a drone over the Eastern Province and, in the early hours of Monday, a ballistic missile launched toward Khamis Mushait in the southwest. Saudi Civil Defense issued emergency alerts in Abha early on Monday and later said the danger had passed, LiveMint reported. The airport remained closed after Saturday's attack, with more than 600 flights cancelled, CNN reported.
What did Saudi Arabia and Iran discuss?
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday about the recent escalation and efforts to lower tensions, the Saudi state news agency reported, according to Reuters. Reuters said it was the two officials' first publicly reported contact since the Iran-aligned Houthis intensified their strikes on the kingdom.
Araghchi said on his Telegram account that Tehran is ready to provide any assistance to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Reuters reported. Al Jazeera reported that Araghchi also argued that insisting on a military approach while disregarding political solutions would further complicate the situation. There was no immediate public response from Riyadh to the offer.
How are governments reacting?
Britain advised against non-essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and Saudi airports other than Medina on Sunday and urged British nationals to consider leaving Saudi Arabia by land, LiveMint reported. The US Federal Aviation Administration advised US airlines to exercise caution when flying into or over parts of Saudi Arabia at all altitudes. The Houthis renewed their warning to airlines and travellers against using Saudi airports except Mecca and Medina, and said Saudi Arabia had carried out 124 air strikes in Yemen in the previous 24 hours — the group's own figure, reported by Reuters, with no independent confirmation.
Saturday's dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and nationals of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, according to Saudi authorities cited by CNN; India's embassy said an Indian citizen wounded on Saturday died on Sunday, bringing that toll to 13.
The toll for Sunday's strike — one Pakistani resident killed and 11 injured — is the Saudi civil aviation authority's figure, as reported by CNN, Demócrata and LiveMint. The early-Monday interception toward Khamis Mushait is the Saudi-led coalition's account, reported by Demócrata and LiveMint; it had no independent confirmation at publication time. This article was published on a Sunday night US time; markets were closed, so no market snapshot box is carried.
