China condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, warns of escalation

An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 and injured 309 as Saudi Arabia and Houthis exchanged strikes. Credit: IBT

China condemned on Monday recent attacks by the Houthis on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure, expressing “serious concern” about the conflict between Riyadh and the Yemeni group intensifying.

“China condemns the attacks that caused heavy casualties and expresses serious concern over the intensification of the conflict,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing.

“We call on relevant parties to avoid taking actions that escalate regional tensions, to resolve differences and disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and to achieve peace and stability in the region at an early date,” Ning said.

A Houthi strike hit Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 11, a day after another deadly attack claimed by the Iran-backed group forced a suspension of operations there.

Saturday’s attack, the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, was a sharp escalation in the Yemen war, where Riyadh has long militarily supported the internationally-recognised government against the Houthis.

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The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on the Riyadh airport — where three people were also killed on Thursday — as well as on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

PUNCH Online reported on Sunday that 12 people had been killed and 309 others injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the third reported attack on the facility in a week, according to the country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.

The Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper, citing the civil aviation authority, reported on Sunday that the attack occurred on Saturday, October 10.

The fatalities included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.

AFP

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