Airport attacks leave 3 dead, 36 hurt in Saudi cities

For the passengers waiting in departure halls and the workers who staff them, the past two days at two Saudi airports turned ordinary routines into scenes of fear and loss. Attacks on Abha International Airport in Abha and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh left three people dead and 36 others injured, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, which reported the toll earlier Wednesday for strikes that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Gulf Cooperation Council responded Wednesday. Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi condemned the attacks and called for a “firm and deterrent” international response to the Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia. For Albudaiwi, the issue was not abstract: targeting civilian airports, he said, endangers passengers, workers and other civilians, and he described it as a “dangerous escalation” and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.

Such attacks demand a “firm and deterrent” international stance, he argued, to prevent further actions that threaten regional and international security. The GCC secretary-general also reaffirmed that member states stand “as one” with Saudi Arabia, backing the measures Riyadh has taken to protect its territory, security and sovereignty.

The human toll was confirmed by Saudi aviation authorities, who said the dead and injured came from attacks on the two airports over Tuesday and Wednesday. The strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport disrupted facilities that serve daily travelers and the people employed keeping them moving.

The broader context is one of escalating violence. Earlier Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis north of Riyadh. The attacks come amid intensified fighting in Yemen and continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its military operations against Houthi positions.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis since March 2015, a conflict whose consequences continue to reach civilians on both sides of the border.

The Gulf bloc’s statement was reported by Anadolu Ajansı, whose coverage is available at https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/gulf-bloc-calls-for-firm-and-deterrent-response-to-houthi-attacks-on-saudi-arabia/4081601. For now, the council’s message centered on solidarity with the kingdom and a demand that the international community respond firmly to attacks it says put ordinary civilians at risk. Whether that response comes, and what it means for the travelers and airport workers caught in the crossfire, remains the open question.