Saudi Arabia extended the shutdown of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport after deadly attacks, pending further safety checks, the civil aviation authority said on 12 October, according to Qatar News Agency.
An attack on 10 October killed 12 people and injured 309, the authority said in a statement carried by Al-Jazirah. The dead included four Saudis and eight foreign nationals.
The Houthis “give no weight to international laws and moral principles”, Saudi Information Minister Salman al-Dossary said in Arabic at a government briefing on 12 October, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Dossary said daily life across Saudi Arabia remained normal and heightened readiness reflected preparations for different scenarios. He condemned attacks on civilians and said targeting airports endangered pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina.
The disruption to aviation continued. A notice to pilots said King Khalid airport would remain closed until 21:00 GMT on 17 October, Reuters reported in an article published by Al Khaleej.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on the airport on 10 and 11 October, according to the Associated Press. Saudi authorities said the second attack killed a Pakistani national and injured 11 people.
India’s embassy said an Indian national died of wounds on 11 October after the earlier attack, AP reported. Separately, Al Khaleej’s Reuters report on 12 October put the 10 October toll at 13 killed and 308 injured.
Saudi Arabia has opened an investigation into how its air defences failed to stop missiles and drones, two regional officials told AP on 12 October. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly.
AP said the Saudi government’s Center for International Communication did not immediately respond to its request for comment about the investigation.
The civil aviation authority said the extended suspension would allow further checks of airport facilities and their readiness to operate, in coordination with other agencies, according to Qatar News Agency.
Dossary urged the public to rely on official information and avoid circulating images or information about security and military operations from unknown or unreliable sources, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
Hospitals were still treating people wounded in the airport attack. Some passengers had been preparing to travel to Mecca for the Umrah pilgrimage or to Medina, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Medical teams performed 25 operations within 10 hours, Maad al-Saati, head of orthopaedic surgery at Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh, told the newspaper on 12 October.
Around 400 medical personnel took part in the response, he said. Operations involved general, vascular and orthopaedic surgery.
Saati said two patients remained in intensive care, while others had moved to inpatient wards. Patients with less serious injuries received emergency treatment and were discharged when their condition allowed.
Some of those still receiving treatment would need further operations in the coming days, he said.
