Middle East crisis live: Houthi media reports strike on airport in Sana’a after deadly Riyadh attack

Saudi-backed government forces earlier said they would ‘respond decisively’ to the attack on Riyadh airport terminals Some more Gulf reaction to Houthi’s deadly airport attack and continued threats to target Saudi airspace. In a significant message, the United Arab Emirates has i

Saudi-backed government forces earlier said they would ‘respond decisively’ to the attack on Riyadh airport terminals Some more Gulf reaction to Houthi’s deadly airport attack and continued threats to target Saudi airspace. In a significant message, the United Arab Emirates has issued a statement in solidarity with Saudi Arabia – expressing support for “all measures aimed at safeguarding the kingdom’s security and stability”. The UAE message is improtant given the major rupture in relations this year between the two oil-rich kingdoms, first sparked by lingering divisions in Yemen, and made worse by the Iran War and arguments over oil prices which led to the UAE quitting OPEC (currently led by the Saudis) after six decades of membership.

Saturday’s incident comes amid an escalation of missile strikes by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis ⁠on the kingdom. The airport has already been attacked twice this ​week, leaving four people dead and ‌others wounded, and ‌badly damaging an aircraft. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government unravelled in July.

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