Air strike on Dammam's King Fahd airport kills 1, injures 8, Saudi aviation authority says
In short
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said an air strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the evening of 21 October killed one resident and injured eight. Saudi authorities have not said who carried out the attack; Yonhap, citing foreign media, said the Houthis are presumed responsible.
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King Fahd International Airport in the Saudi coastal city of Dammam was hit by an air strike on the evening of 21 October, killing one resident and injuring eight, the Saudi civil aviation authority said in an announcement on 22 October local time. Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo described Dammam as a strategic hub for transport, trade and the energy industry. [ 1 , 2 ]
The authority said the injured included people with injuries ranging from minor to serious, and that all had been taken to hospital for treatment. Airport facilities were also damaged. The authority said it was investigating the damage and would announce more once it was known. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap, citing AP and AFP, reported that Saudi authorities did not say who carried out the attack or in what form. The Houthis had not commented. Foreign media presume the Houthis were responsible because they have recently stepped up attacks on Saudi airports and other sites, and because King Fahd airport was hit by Houthi missiles in the past, Yonhap said. [ 3 ]
Yonhap also reported that the Shaybah oil field in south-eastern Saudi Arabia was targeted by drones. The Saudi energy ministry said it intercepted drones aimed at Aramco's Shaybah facility, and debris from an intercepted drone fell on a subcontractor's vehicle and started a fire. Two workers from the Philippines and Nepal were killed, and two from Pakistan and India were injured. [ 3 ]
Yonhap said Saudi Arabia is also intensifying attacks on the Houthis. Citing Russia's RIA Novosti, it reported that the Houthi health ministry said a fishing boat in Yemen's Taiz province was attacked by Saudi Arabia on 20 October, killing eight fishermen. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on 20 October that Saudi Arabia had carried out 93 air strikes on Yemen in 24 hours. [ 3 ]
Yonhap added that the UK Maritime Trade Operations body said two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were hit by unidentified projectiles and caught fire, one about 20 km off Oman and another about 55 km off Iraq. On 20 October three tankers hit mines and caught fire. The US State Department ordered staff and family members at the US embassy in Saudi Arabia to leave; Reuters said this could signal an imminent US military operation against the Houthis. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
Yonhap reports that attacks on Saudi targets, Houthi-related fighting, tanker incidents near Hormuz and a US embassy departure order are raising fears of wider conflict in the Middle East. The documents do not say how the airport's operations are affected.
Key facts
- King Fahd International Airport in the Saudi city of Dammam was hit by an air strike on the evening of 21 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Saudi civil aviation authority said one person was killed and eight were injured. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The authority said the injured ranged from minor to serious injuries and were taken to hospital. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Airport facilities were also damaged, and the authority said the extent of the damage was being assessed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Saudi authorities gave no details on who carried out the attack or how it was carried out. [ 3 ]
- Foreign media presume the Houthis were responsible, Yonhap reported; the Houthis had not commented. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Saudi civil aviation authority said the airport in Dammam was struck on the evening of 21 October, killing one person and injuring eight. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The authority said the injuries ranged from minor to serious and the airport's facilities were also damaged, with the damage being assessed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Who carried out the attack and by what means Yonhap says Saudi authorities gave no details on the perpetrator or form of the attack.
- Whether the Houthis were responsible Yonhap says foreign media presume so because the Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi airports and the airport was hit by Houthi missiles before; the Houthis had not commented.
- The extent of damage to the airport The authority said it was still assessing the damage and would announce more later.