Saudi Arabia extends airport closure and moves Riyadh schools online after deadly strike
Houthi-run health ministry reported that a child was killed and 6 people wounded in a suspected Saudi strike
Saudi Arabia on Sunday kept its main international airport closed and moved Riyadh schools online as Yemen's Houthi rebels threatened new strikes across the kingdom, a day after a missile attack killed 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Saturday's strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh marked a major escalation in the war between Yemen's Iran's-backed Houthis and the kingdom and further complicated sputtering efforts to halt the U.S.-Iran war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the rebels, a scenario that could prompt the Houthis to halt shipping through a crucial waterway and further restrict the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf.
uncertain
that → extend → Gulf
Later Sunday, the Houthi-run health ministry reported that a child was killed and six people wounded in a suspected Saudi airstrike on a house in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
asserted
people → run → capital
The ministry says 91 Yemenis have been killed and 168 injured by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks.
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168 → say → weeks
It said that 60 per cent of those killed were women and children.
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cent → say → those
Riyadh shutters airport, schools as Houthis threaten more strikes
The kingdom said Sunday that schools in the capital would hold classes online until the end of the week.
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schools → shutter → week
Meanwhile, authorities extended an ongoing airport closure until at least 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Flightradar24.
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authorities → extend → Flightradar24
While the Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for Saturday's attack, they have acknowledged targeting Saudi airports and oil installations in the past.
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they → claim → past
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesperson, warned "all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces."
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they → warn → forces
He wrote on the social media platform X that airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were exempt.
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airports → write → Mecca
The latest attack on the Saudi airport drew condemnations from Arab countries, including Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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attack → draw → Iraq
"Attacks by Iran's proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence," von der Leyen wrote Sunday on X. "They are destabilizing crucial global transport and energy nodes."
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They → push → nodes
Details surface about airport fatalities
The attack struck an airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media.
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they → surface → media
A Saudi statement said the dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese.
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dead → say → citizens
It said several hospitals were treating the injured.
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hospitals → say → injured
The Egyptian woman was a flight attendant identified as Azza Ramzy, 28, who worked for the Saudi airline Flynas, according to the Egyptian state-run TV.
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who → identify → TV
The Syrian woman was a widowed mother of four who had been living in Saudi Arabia for five years, a relative told The Associated Press.
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relative → live → Press
The Syrian Embassy in Riyadh identified her as Buthaina Ahmad Oweida.
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Embassy → identify → Oweida
Her niece, Nisreen Oweida, said her aunt was 56 years old, from Syria's northern Idlib province, and had left during the country's civil war.
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aunt → say → war
She was living in Mecca and had been returning from a visit to her sister in Riyadh when she was killed in the attack on the airport, her niece said.
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niece → live → airport
Trump said he would consider joining strikes against rebels
The attack is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies, including the United States, to provide military support for the kingdom.
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attack → say → kingdom
Shortly after the attack, Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the rebels.
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U.S. → say → rebels
"We're going to look at it," he said.
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he → go → it
"We just found out about the recent attack.
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We → find → attack
So we'll make a decision.
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we → make → decision
We move very quickly."
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We → move → ?
Trump said later Saturday he planned to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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he → say → Salman
Asked if the U.S. might get involved, Trump responded, "We'll find out."
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We → ask → ?
People gather outside a metro station on the road to King Khalid airport in Riyadh on Saturday.
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People → gather → Saturday
A U.S. attack would deepen American involvement in an unpopular regional war that has threatened Trump's Republican party in upcoming U.S. midterm elections.
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that → deepen → elections
Both Trump and Iran insist the American election calendar has no effect on their decisions on how to end the seven-month-old conflict.
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calendar → insist → conflict
The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot.
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that → claim → pilot
The airport has no military facilities.
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airport → have → facilities
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.
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coalition → include → Houthis
Iran can use Houthis to pressure key U.S. ally
The latest fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis comes as negotiations between Iran and the U.S. aimed at ending their war appear to be at a standstill.
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negotiations → use → standstill
Now, the rebels are helping Iran to pressure a key U.S. ally.
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Iran → help → ally
Houthi attacks, along with their control of the Bab el-Mandeb waterway, also threaten to add new disruptions to the flow of oil from the region.
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attacks → threaten → region
The Saudis and the Houthis began fighting in 2015, when the kingdom entered Yemen's civil war on behalf of the internationally recognized government.
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kingdom → begin → government
Relative calm after a 2022 ceasefire ended in July, when the Houthis resumed attacks, saying the Saudis fired on the Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was trying to land.
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plane → end → Iran
That revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-run areas.
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that → revive → areas
Now fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea.
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coalition → escalate → Sea
…and 2 more, not listed.
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