Riyadh airport – Multiple blasts have struck Riyadh, forcing the closure of King Khalid International Airport, following a wave of deadly attacks across the kingdom.
Passengers at King Khalid International Airport were ordered to abandon their luggage and evacuate the terminal on Thursday as multiple explosions rocked the Saudi capital. The blasts. one of which was centered at the international airport. sent smoke rising over the facility and triggered an immediate. city-wide emergency response.
Fire and ambulance crews swarmed the area following the explosions, the cause of which remains unconfirmed. By mid-morning. the Flightradar24 monitor reported that the airport had ceased all operations. with the last landing and takeoff occurring more than 80 minutes prior. Outgoing flights were halted, leaving the facility locked down as authorities remained silent on the details of the security breach.
The volatility in Riyadh follows a string of assaults that have pulled the kingdom deeper into conflict. Only 24 hours earlier. Saudi officials confirmed that separate strikes on airports in Riyadh and Abha resulted in the deaths of three people. The attack on King Khalid International Airport alone killed a Sudanese national and left eight others wounded. A separate strike at Abha airport claimed the lives of two residents—one from Morocco and one from Algeria—and injured another 28 people.
These events mark a sharp intensification of hostilities. Over the weekend. Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces initiated a significant air and ground offensive in Yemen. attempting to reclaim territory along the Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that had fallen to Houthi rebels a month ago. The rebels’ control over the waterway creates a direct challenge to a vital shipping lane. serving as a critical alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. where traffic has already been hampered by the broader regional war.
The frequency and nature of these strikes have placed the kingdom’s infrastructure under unprecedented pressure. While no group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s explosions. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have maintained a consistent campaign against Saudi oil facilities. military sites. and airports in recent days. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki. spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition. asserted on Wednesday that his forces had destroyed a launch platform in the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa used for targeting Riyadh. though those claims remain unverified.
For the world’s top oil exporter. the instability has moved beyond the borders of Yemen and into the heart of the capital. As the smoke clears at the airport. the economic impact is already visible; global crude oil prices surged as markets reacted to the sudden closure of one of the region’s most important hubs.
Riyadh Saudi Arabia King Khalid International Airport Houthi Yemen Middle East security oil prices