Reports of Evacuation at Riyadh Airport After Explosion

By Staff, Agencies

People were reportedly evacuated from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday after witnesses said they heard an explosion, raising concerns over a possible new attack days after the Yemeni Armed Forces announced several operations targeting the facility.

Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm a new attack or an evacuation. However, one witness told AFP that an explosion was heard while passengers were waiting to board a flight.

A relative of one passenger said at least one person was injured in an unspecified incident at the airport, sustaining injuries to the shoulders and arms from shattered glass and being taken to hospital.

Two other witnesses also said people were being evacuated, although they did not know what had prompted the evacuation.

The reports came after the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center of the Sanaa government repeatedly warned airlines against operating in Saudi airspace.

The center said the airspace constitutes a theater of operations for the Yemeni Armed Forces, excluding areas over Mecca and Medina.

The center urged airlines to comply with its warning and said it would remain in effect until further notice. It also said humanitarian flights to and from Riyadh would be permitted if authorized in advance by the center.

The warnings come amid continued escalation between Sanaa and Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni Armed Forces have claimed a series of missile and drone operations targeting Saudi airports and other strategic facilities.

The situation also comes against the backdrop of Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen since 2015. Sanaa International Airport has repeatedly been targeted, with strikes damaging runways, terminals and navigation systems and contributing to restrictions on civilian aviation.

Regular commercial flights from Sanaa were suspended in 2016, severely limiting Yemenis’ ability to travel abroad for medical treatment and other essential purposes and complicating humanitarian operations for millions of people dependent on international assistance.