‘These attacks must stop immediately’: Guterres condemns deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

In a brief statement issued late on Saturday, he said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law. “These attacks must stop immediately,” Guterres said.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said on Sunday that 309 people were injured in the attack on King Khalid International Airport, some of them critically.

The dead included at least four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, a US citizen, plus others from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. Operations were halted and flights diverted.

On Sunday evening, Saudi authorities reported that another projectile hit the passenger terminal at the airport in Riyadh, causing further injuries and a fire.

Third attack

This is the third Houthi attack on the airport this week. Thursday’s attack killed three Saudis, including a Saudia pilot, and earlier attacks on King Khalid and Abha airports reportedly killed three more people and injured 36.

Houthi media reported the airport in Yemen’s capital Sana’a – which the group has controlled for years – was hit by an airstrike on Sunday, and blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack.

According to news reports, the vice president of Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Sunday called for decisive action by regional and international partners to end Houthi aggression.

Long war

The Iran-backed Houthi group has been fighting the Saudi-backed government since 2014. A 2022 ceasefire largely held until this summer. In September, the Houthis took control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Mokha and islands in the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Earlier this month, government forces launched a counteroffensive, backed by Saudi-led airstrikes, aimed at recapturing all Houthi-held territory – including Sana’a. The Houthis responded with missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The impact of the US-Iran conflict

The seizure of Bab al-Mandab, the narrow gateway to the Red Sea, is a fallout of the US-Iran conflict that has disrupted the stability of global oil and gas supplies through the crucial Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

With Iran continuing to interfere in the strait, the Red Sea has become important for Saudi oil exports.

Saudi officials and the Yemeni government say they have now regained control of the Red Sea chokepoint – but the Houthi group denies the claim.

Security Council

UN Security Council met Friday morning in New York regarding Yemen where Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said the country had returned to full-scale war.

The conflict is escalating, increasing regional security and economic risks, he told the ambassadors.

UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Mohamed Yahya said more than 200,000 people had been displaced since August, the highest number of new refugees since a now-collapsed 2022 ceasefire.