Saudi authorities say 3 killed in Houthi-claimed attacks on Riyadh airport

An airline pilot was among three Saudi citizens killed in attacks targeting Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia aircraft, the kingdom’s civil aviation authority said on Friday. Several people “of different nationalities” were wounded.

The attacks on Thursday were the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in neighboring Yemen launched a major military offensive against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels last weekend.

They also marked a significant escalation on the latest front in the Iran war, which has kept oil prices and financial markets volatile. U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg was scheduled to brief the Security Council on developments in Yemen later on Friday.

Hundreds of flights to and from Riyadh were canceled on Thursday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

The Indian Embassy later said Air India had suspended operations through to Saturday, while the Lufthansa Group said its airlines would suspend flights to Riyadh through to Oct. 16. Pakistan International Airlines has also suspended flights to Riyadh because of the evolving situation in the Middle East, an airline spokesman said.

Read more: AP