US State Dept Restricts Its Diplomats Airport Access in Saudi Arabia as Strikes Intensify
American and Saudi Arabia flags are seen during a meeting of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The State Department has required US diplomats working in Saudi Arabia to coordinate the use of three of the country’s airports amid strikes by Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis. «US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as well as the airports in Jeddah and Dammam,» the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a statement. In addition, the US diplomatic mission barred US government employees from coming within 20 miles of the border with Yemen.Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport was struck over the weekend. Authorities stated that a total of 13 people had been killed and more than 300 had been injured. An attack was also carried out against the international airport in Dammam on Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the attack, with the extent of the damage still being assessed. Military clashes between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces resumed in mid-July after a four-year pause after the movement accused Riyadh of striking Sanaa’s airport just as a plane from Iran, carrying a delegation of Houthi leaders, was landing. Since then, rebels have taken control of the entire western coast of the Red Sea and cities near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
WorldRiyadh Launches 82 Strikes Against Houthis Following Attacks on Its Airports — Coalition8 October, 03:56 GMT
