Pilot killed in attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Riyadh airport; Saudi-led coalition vows 'firm' response

The Skyline of Riyadh is seen on October 31, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Justin Setterfield | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesThree Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in attacks on a Riyadh international airport by Iran-backed Houthi militants on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said.In a statement posted on X Friday, the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the deaths were caused by two attacks on the capital's King Khalid International Airport the previous day. The first attack, officials said, targeted the airport's facilities, while the second aimed at an aircraft belonging to Saudi carrier Saudia. Saudia said in a separate statement on Friday that Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami was killed in the strikes. Yemen's Houthis, a militant group backed by Tehran, claimed the attacks. In a separate statement, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said on Friday that it would respond firmly to the militants' recent attacks, after confirming the destruction of three missile launchers used by the group."Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure will be met with a firm response," Major General Turki al-Malki, the ...