Houthi movement claims attack on
Photo: Ansar Allah via AP/TT

Houthi movement claims attack on Riyadh airport and Saudi oil depot

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh International Airport was attacked on Saturday and an oil depot was set on fire. The Iran-backed Houthi movement confirmed that it had attacked "key sites" in the capital and the port city of Yanbu. Meanwhile, fighting in Yemen continues to claim a large number of casualties - almost 50 killed in a single day.

Flames and black smoke were seen near Riyadh International Airport after the attacks, with a large number of flights cancelled, according to Flightradar24, which monitors air traffic.

The airport announced that the incident is causing “extensive problems with major delays and cancelled flights.”

Oil depot attacked

A reporter for the French news agency AFP reported that fire crews are trying to extinguish the fire at the depot that is said to belong to the Saudi oil giant Aramco.

The Islamist Houthi movement, which controls large areas of Yemen, said late Saturday that it had also attacked Aramco's facilities in Yanbu.

The incidents followed overnight airstrikes in the Saudi capital, the first since fighting against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in neighbouring Yemen resumed in July.

Escalated conflict

In recent days, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly been the target of attacks by the Houthi movement. Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, has responded with attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

At the same time, Yemen's government forces and the Houthi movement, the other side in the conflict, announced that at least 48 people were killed in clashes on Saturday.

Government sources state that 17 soldiers have been killed, while the Houthi movement says that 31 of its fighters have been killed in the past 24 hours.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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