Saudi capital airport hit again, sparking evacuations, reports say

In practice, an international airport in the Saudi capital has been attacked again, reports say, just days after Yemen's Houthi rebels asserted two successful attacks on the hub.

Key points

• A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised administration.
• King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was evacuated after a loud blast was heard on Saturday, two international news agencies have documented.
• Another three individuals were killed in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October.
• The Houthis say they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its backing for administration forces in Yemen's civil war.
• The attack comes a day after authorities remarked three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in two attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis the day prior.

More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport, according to Reuters, citing an eyewitness. While the airport informed passengers to check with their airline before travelling there, saudi authorities have not commented.

Notably, the attack comes a day after authorities remarked three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in two attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis the day prior.

They came during a marked escalation in renewed fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed administration forces and the Houthis. This person control most of the country's north-west.

Notably, the Houthis say they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its backing for administration forces in Yemen's civil war.

In practice, the conflict worsened after the Houthis seized strategically significant stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.

That included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. It is the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping. Yemeni pro-government forces have since remarked they had "secured" the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, a Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised administration.

In practice, a temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of individuals, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. But the informal truce began to unravel in July.

In practice, the Houthis confirmed a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. They remarked they were retaliating against what they described as a years-long Saudi blockade and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.

For now, saudi capital airport hit again, sparking evacuations, reports say remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.