Riyadh Airport Hit Again, 60 Percent of Flights Cancelled
A second strike in two days killed one man and injured 11, the toll from Saturday's attack rose to 13, and Iran is still weighing Washington's reply on Hormuz.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit on Sunday evening for the second time in two days, and every new strike on Saudi energy and transport infrastructure adds pressure on the global oil market, which also drives fuel prices in Serbia. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said one man was killed, a Pakistani national residing in the country, and that 11 people were injured and taken to several hospitals.
What happened at Riyadh airport?
A witness who was aboard a plane on the runway described the event to Reuters. According to that account, a projectile landed on the runway next to several parked aircraft at about 8:30 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. GMT. A fire broke out. The witness’s plane was returned to the gate and passengers were told to leave the aircraft.
Al Jazeera reports that the strike hit Terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. GACA later said damage assessments and security inspections at the airport were under way.
Sunday’s attack came a day after the deadliest one the country has seen since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen put Saturday’s toll at 12 dead and more than 300 injured. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that one Indian national died of his injuries on Sunday, raising the toll from Saturday’s attack to 13. Three more Indian nationals are in intensive care in stable condition, two are in regular care, and the other injured have been discharged from the hospital. RTS reports that 309 people were injured in total on Saturday and that at least 14 died over the weekend.
The airport has been hit four times in five days and has been closed since Saturday. On Thursday, October 8, at least three Saudi nationals were killed in attacks on it, including a pilot. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the earlier strikes. The sources available to our newsroom do not say that anyone has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s.
How many flights were cancelled?
According to the analytics firm Cirium, 99.7 percent of planned flights at the airport were cancelled on Sunday. For Monday, October 12, about 60 percent are expected to be cancelled.
Riyadh promises a response as its defenses wear thin
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday that the attacks of recent weeks had been serious and that Saudi Arabia’s response must be “equally serious.” According to him, the Houthis are stepping up attacks on the kingdom, and more than 15 people have died in two weeks.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed Saudi officials, writes that Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptor missiles. According to the same paper, the kingdom has asked Pakistan for help and is trying to buy additional air defense systems, while moving existing ones to protect key energy infrastructure. The paper also reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is staying in well-guarded quarters with bunkers.
US President Donald Trump says he is considering whether to join the fight against the Houthis. He also announced a conversation with Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking help against the Houthis, but there was no sign on Sunday that it had taken place. There are fears that American intervention could push the Houthis to halt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another route by which oil leaves the Gulf. The rebels seized key points along the strait last month, and the coalition is trying to take them back.
What does Iran say about Hormuz?
While the attacks continue, the diplomatic path toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains open, but without results. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a news conference that Iran is still considering the US response to its proposal and will reply through intermediaries once that process is finished.
Tehran has set seven conditions for Washington:
- an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon
- guarantees that the attacks will not be repeated
- lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports
- release of frozen Iranian assets abroad
- easing or lifting of sanctions
- a reduction of American military pressure on Iran
- war reparations
Iran claims that traffic through the strait would return to normal within seven days if Washington meets those demands. A representative of the supreme leader, Mohsen Rezai, said Washington has responded to the seven conditions, but that part of the demands remains unresolved and that Iran will not continue negotiations without additional explanations.
Energy agency urges faster deliveries
The International Energy Agency has also noted the pressure on the fuel market. Its executive director, Fatih Birol, called on governments that have not yet fulfilled the March pledge to release oil reserves to speed up deliveries, with priority for diesel, and on members that have to assess whether additional volumes are needed. In a statement ahead of the agency’s board meeting, scheduled for October 15, he said:
“Current market conditions require urgent attention and are best addressed through continued cooperation among IEA members.”
According to Bloomberg, the statement was released on Sunday evening.
Group of Seven countries agreed earlier this month to an urgent release of up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from reserves, after Donald Trump’s administration threatened European countries with a ban on diesel exports unless they take additional steps against record prices. European Union members largely agree that the deal amounts to carrying out the March commitments, not to additional volumes of fuel.
