look news india
The fire of war has once again flared up in West Asia. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched a major ballistic missile attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. According to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority and local authorities, at least 12 people have died tragically in this horrific attack on Saturday afternoon, while more than 309 people have been seriously injured. This was the third attack targeting Riyadh Airport within this week, but it has proved to be the worst attack so far in terms of the number of casualties. Immediately after the blast, a cloud of dust, smoke and debris was seen in the airport terminal complex, after which there was screams all around and passengers started running here and there to save their lives.
According to information received from regional authorities and security agencies, the missile fired by the Houthis fell directly into the part of the airport complex where Terminals 3 and 4 of domestic flights are located. The intensity of the blast was so great that the windows and roof glasses of the terminal broke and scattered everywhere, due to which dozens of people got bleeding. Saudi officials have confirmed that the 12 killed include four Saudi citizens, one American citizen, two Bangladeshis, one Palestinian, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian and one Sudanese national. The injured were immediately admitted to different government and military hospitals in Riyadh, where the condition of many people is said to be very critical. Expressing deep condolence over the death of his citizen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called this attack extremely condemnable and playing with the lives of innocent civilians.
Immediately after the attack, the Saudi Aviation Authority temporarily suspended all operations at King Khalid International Airport due to security concerns. Heavy police force was deployed on all the main roads leading to the airport and the entry gates were completely blocked. According to flight tracking data, many international and domestic flights coming to Riyadh were diverted to airports in Jeddah, Dammam and other neighboring countries. Major airlines like Air India, Air India Express and Kuwait Airways have canceled all their flights to Riyadh for the coming days in view of security concerns. The embassies of many countries including America, Britain, Germany and India have issued advisories to their citizens present in Saudi Arabia and strictly advised them not to travel to the airport and follow the instructions of the local administration.
After this bloody attack, huge geopolitical turmoil has intensified at the international level. Speaking to reporters in Florida, US President Donald Trump said Washington is evaluating whether the US should get directly involved in Saudi-led military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump said in strong words that whatever has happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable at any cost. He talked about speaking directly to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over phone and made it clear that America will take a final decision on this very soon and will take rapid action. On the other hand, the Saudi-led coalition has termed the attack as a ‘complete war crime’ and warned of decisive and extremely aggressive retaliation against the Houthi rebels.
This direct attack on the capital of Saudi Arabia has become an alarm bell for the global oil market. Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading crude oil exporter, and repeated attacks on civilians and strategic infrastructure in its capital have escalated tensions across the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea trade corridor. Analysts believe that if Saudi Arabia and America together open a direct front against the Houthis in Yemen and Iran standing behind them, then this conflict could engulf the entire Gulf region. This will not only affect the routes of international flights, but there is every possibility of a huge rise in the prices of crude oil in the international market, which can have a direct impact on the economy of the entire world including India.