Overview
- A strong explosion at Riyadh airport forced an evacuation on Saturday and led witnesses to report hearing a blast while passengers were boarding.
- Major regional carriers including Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways canceled multiple Riyadh flights with some disruptions extending into Monday.
- The Saturday incident follows several strikes earlier in the week against the same airport that killed four people, wounded others and damaged an aircraft.
- Riyadh airport used its X account to tell passengers to check with their airlines, while the Saudi government and civil aviation authority had not publicly confirmed details.
- Reporting links the attacks to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are tied to Iran, raising security, diplomatic and economic concerns for Riyadh as it prepares to host major conferences.