Houthi Attack Disrupts Flights at Saudi Airport

The Houthis attacked Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing 3 deaths and 36 injuries, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, 312 of the 1,194 flights departing Saudi Arabia on Thursday were canceled or did not take off, more than a quarter of the total. Subsequent reports said Saudi authorities stated that the October 10 attack caused at least 12 deaths and more than 300 injuries, and operations at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were suspended again; Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks. Delta Air Lines plans to launch a direct flight from Atlanta to Riyadh on October 23, which would be the first time a U.S. airline operates the route. The latest reports said that Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation stated on local time the 11th that King Khalid International Airport was attacked on the evening of the 10th, causing at least 12 deaths and 309 injuries; the dead include four Saudi citizens and one each from Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, and all the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals, some in critical condition; the attack also caused property damage, and the losses are still being assessed.