Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport reopens to limited traffic

Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resumed limited domestic operations Wednesday, two days after authorities notified airlines they could restart flights with prior permission. The airport had been shut down on Oct. 10 following multiple strikes by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who acknowledged attacking the facility and claimed without evidence that Saudi Arabia was moving military equipment through it. Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed Saudia and Flynas operating flights Wednesday, though major international carriers including Lufthansa and Air France have canceled service through mid-November.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed five drones fired toward the kingdom Wednesday, including over the holy city of Medina. The coalition spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, announced the interceptions in a social media post. Fighting has intensified since mid-July, with the rebels repeatedly striking Saudi oil facilities and airports while the coalition has hit rebel-held areas in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and provided air cover for a Yemeni government offensive launched earlier this month.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said a ballistic missile struck a military camp adjacent to Yemen's Aden airport in the Khor Maksar district, claiming the camp houses a command center for Saudi-led forces. A transportation ministry official in Aden said a civilian plane had departed before the strike and the departure hall was evacuated. Operations were temporarily suspended with no damage reported to the tarmac. This marks the second claimed attack on the military camp in five days and the third this month.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization reported two attacks on tankers Wednesday. A projectile ignited a fire aboard a tanker 12.6 miles west of Bukha, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz; the fire was extinguished, the vessel is at anchor, and its crew is safe. Another tanker was struck 34.5 miles southeast of Al Faw, Iraq, with its crew also safe and no damage or environmental impact reported. The UKMTO said the attacks targeted vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with Iran amid its conflict with the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday for an unannounced visit as part of a regional tour and is expected to meet with Saudi officials.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal