Saudi Arabia reports deadly Riyadh airport attacks as Houthis target key facilities; 3 killed

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that three people were killed including a pilot were killed in attacks on Riyadhs international airport after Yemens Houthis claimed a series of attacks targeting the facilityThe conflict between the Houthis and Yemens Saudibacked government has widened with the Iranbacked fighters staging repeated attacks on Saudi targets since they began a lightning offensive just across the borderWhile seizing large swathes of territory along the Red Sea coast in Yemen the Houthis have also attacked Saudi transport hubs oil facilities and other civilian targets in the worlds largest crude exporterThe Saudi civil aviation authority said two attacks on Thursday on the Saudi capitals airport and a Saudia Airlines plane there resulted in the martyrdom of three citizensThe national flag carrier confirmed the death of the planes captain expressing profound sadness and citing an incident at King Khalid International AirportSaudi Arabia and the Yemeni government forces it backs have struggled to contain the Houthis advance despite a counteroffensive aimed at recapturing territory including the area around the Bab alMandab strait that is crucial to global energy flowsBut a regional source told AFP on Friday that Riyadh would not bow to the Houthis military blackmail and would not agree to a truce until the Yemeni government regains all territory it has lost in recent weeksThe attacks forced diplomats stationed in the Saudi capital to shelter in place and international schools to take safety measures as explosions echoed across the city on ThursdayNumerous flights at Riyadhs King Khalid International Airport were delayed or cancelled while the airport advised travellers of the necessity to contact airlines before their tripsThe kingdoms civil defence agency also said interception debris had damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh It did not say if there were casualties there or provide details of the damageCrisis in everythingThe Houthis whose heartlands are among the Zaidi Shia Muslims in the northwest had already controlled the capital Sanaa and most of Yemens major population centres since the start of the war in 2014Riyadhs military coalition intervened to support the government the following yearAfter declaring their counteroffensive against the Houthis Yemens government claimed to have pushed the fighters out of strategic areas on the Red Sea coast and the port city of MochaBut the Houthis insist they are holding their territory and military sources from both sides contacted by AFP have not reported any major changes on the groundHouthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched missiles at an airport in Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait on ThursdayThe Houthis have also warned workers to evacuate Saudi Arabias oil facilities having days before hit a major refinery south of the capitalAdmissions by Saudi authorities of civilian targets being hit are relatively rare There have been few statements on Houthi attacks in recent weeksClaims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify with the situation moving fast and access for journalists difficultIn Yemen one of the worlds poorest countries ordinary civilians are paying the price for the renewed fighting with more than 200000 people displaced since July according to UN dataIn Yemens Taiz the Houthis are laying siege to the governmentcontrolled city in the countrys west depriving residents of their main supply route to the governments temporary capital in AdenThere is a crisis in everything water gas vegetables everything essential said Um RianThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever