Houthi attacks disrupt more Riyadh flights

Shafaq News- Sanaa (Updated at 17:54)

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Friday widened the area of Saudi airspace where it advises airlines not to fly, while Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended Riyadh services, joining several international carriers that had already halted flights to the Saudi capital.

EASA cited recent attacks on Riyadh airport and risks to civil aviation, adding another area in northwestern Saudi Arabia to its warning. The agency previously cited threats from missile and drone attacks, interception activity, falling debris, and the potential misidentification of civilian aircraft.

Flightradar24 data showed 141 flights to or from Riyadh were canceled and 289 delayed on Friday, after 335 cancellations on Thursday.

Lufthansa Group had also suspended Riyadh flights through October 16, while IndiGo canceled services through October 9. Air India and Akasa Air suspended flights to and from the Saudi capital through October 10.

The disruption followed two attacks on King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said three Saudi nationals were killed and several people injured, while a Saudia aircraft was damaged.

The Houthis (Ansarallah) claimed responsibility for attacks on the airport, but Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday that humanitarian flights to and from Riyadh would be permitted if they obtained authorization from the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center in Sanaa.

Meanwhile, the Sanaa-based Saba news agency reported Saudi airstrikes across Yemen. Two strikes targeted telecommunications infrastructure in Kitaf wa Al-Buqa district in Saada province, while other strikes hit telecommunications networks in Bilad Al-Rus and Arhab districts in Sanaa province.

Two strikes on Sahar district west of Saada city and six on the Funduq area of Bani Hushaysh district east of Sanaa were also recorded. Saba gave no casualty figures.

Fighting also continued around Bab el-Mandeb and Taiz. A military source quoted by the agency claimed Houthi forces repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces moving from Lahj toward areas south of Bab el-Mandeb, killing or wounding dozens and destroying or disabling several vehicles. The source also claimed Houthi forces had expelled Saudi-backed forces from all areas of Jabal Habashi district in Taiz.

Houthi forces repelled Saudi-backed forces attempting to advance from Lahj toward Bab el-Mandeb for the second time within hours, according to Saree, who said the advancing forces were targeted with ballistic missiles, artillery, and heavy weapons, destroying more than 22 armored vehicles and killing or wounding dozens, including several commanders.

On October 5, Reuters reported that Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces had retaken territory around the Bab el-Mandeb coastline after intense Saudi airstrikes. Reuters reported on Friday that fighting continued in the area.

A statement issued during a mass rally in Sanaa called for general mobilization and warned that targeting or militarizing Bab el-Mandeb could endanger navigation through the strait.

Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea and the Suez Canal route with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

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