CAIRO — The international airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, was attacked again Saturday as the kingdom faces an extraordinary series of assaults in the new front in the Iran war .
President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
The surge in attacks, including against other Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure, has come in the week since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against the Houthis. “We may. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.
Because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media, on Saturday, a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights and many people were wounded, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
We’re going to look at it,” Trump said of intervening.
The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis , including a pilot. There was no immediate statement from the rebels, who earlier Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.
The airport had a heavy police presence, with all entrances blocked, and lights around the complex were dimmed. Countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport. The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region. Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has played a mediator role at times in the region.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said airport operations were suspended and the extent of injuries and damage was being assessed. An official notice to aviators said the suspension was through midnight. Flights diverted elsewhere, the Flightradar24 tracker said. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of “supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions” in the region.
And yet the Saudi energy ministry hours after the latest one was still promoting a major international energy conference set to begin in Riyadh on Sunday.
