Several explosions were heard across Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Thursday, with diplomats reportedly taking shelter in their embassies and international schools also taking safety measures.
Two people working in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District also said that some companies were evacuating staff, as reported by news agency AFP. King Khalid International Airport had also been facing frequent temporary airspace closures, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, while Saudi authorities had not publicly acknowledged closures or confirmed strikes on the airport. At least one school moved children into a basement.
On October 3, flames and thick smoke were seen rising from an Aramco facility south of Riyadh after Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the site with ballistic missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said three people were killed and 36 injured in attacks targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to AFP reports. One Sudanese national was killed and eight people were injured at King Khalid International Airport, while two people were killed and 28 injured at Abha airport, according to the aviation authority.
Diplomats stationed in the Saudi capital had been instructed to shelter in their respective embassies, while residents said international schools had taken precautionary measures. At Abha airport, the victims included two female residents of Moroccan and Algerian nationalities, while those injured included Saudi, Bangladeshi and Filipino nationals, according to GACA.
The Saudi aviation authority also said the attacks caused property damage and that emergency teams and relevant authorities responded under established emergency procedures.
