Follow-Up: Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Houthi Ballistic Missiles on Monday; Riyadh Airport Closure Extended to at Least Oct. 17
Saudi Arabia's military said on Monday (Oct. 12) that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi movement: one was intercepted over the capital, Riyadh, and two others were destroyed over the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the salvo, saying they had targeted Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and a military base, and renewed their warnings to international airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.
This is the latest development in the Riyadh airport attacks that GSM has been following. Earlier on Monday, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that King Khalid International Airport would remain closed so that procedures to verify the safety and operational readiness of the airport's facilities could be completed, with several hundred flights cancelled; a notice to air missions (NOTAM) indicates the airport will remain shut until at least October 17. GSM previously reported that the airport has been closed since it was struck on Saturday (Oct. 10), that some 60% of Monday's flights were cancelled, and that carriers including Lufthansa and Air France-KLM had announced suspensions.
On casualties, CNN put the toll from the past week's series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia at at least 20 people killed and hundreds wounded. Saturday's strike on the airport killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade; a further attack on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and wounded 11 others.
The Houthis have fought the Saudi-backed Yemeni government for years, and the Saudi-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes against Houthi targets — GSM reported earlier that the coalition bombed Sanaa's airport on Sunday in retaliation. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has advised American carriers to exercise caution when flying over parts of Saudi airspace. As of publication, when the Riyadh airport will reopen depends on the safety verification, while the Houthis have threatened to keep targeting Saudi airports. (Compiled from CNN and Reuters reports)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 爱国者防空系统拦截弹发射资料图（美军演习画面），公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
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