Riyadh airport attack: Saudi schools switch to remote learning

Schools in Riyadh will switch to remote learning for a week, according to an email sent to parents on Sunday, following a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport.

The email, seen by AFP, said the decision followed instructions from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education. “All schools in Riyadh will switch to distance learning for the entire week,” it said. It is the second time in less than a month that schools in the capital have been ordered to move to distance learning.

Saudi civil aviation authorities said early on Sunday that the attack killed 12 people and injured more than 300, with some of the injured in critical condition and receiving treatment at several hospitals.

A regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen blamed the group for the attack, describing it as a “fully fledged war crime” and vowing a firm response. The Houthis had not immediately commented on the strike.

Airport operations were suspended on Saturday, and the closure was later extended until 9pm on Sunday, according to flight-tracking platform Flightradar24.

The attack - the latest of several in the past week on the airport - is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies including the United States to provide military support for the kingdom, which has seemingly tried to avoid all-out war with the Houthis.