Beijing voices alarm over Houthi strikes on Saudi airports and oil sites
China's government registered its disapproval on Monday of recent Houthi operations against Saudi airports and energy installations, stating it was deeply troubled by the escalating confrontation pitting Riyadh against the Yemeni armed group.
Speaking at a routine press briefing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: "China condemns the attacks that caused heavy casualties and expresses serious concern over the intensification of the conflict."
Ning went on to urge all sides to pull back from moves that could heighten regional tensions, settle their disagreements through talks, and bring about peace and stability in the region quickly. "We call on relevant parties to avoid taking actions that escalate regional tensions, to resolve differences and disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and to achieve peace and stability in the region at an early date," she said.
The diplomatic intervention followed a Houthi strike on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday that left one person dead and 11 wounded. That attack came only a day after a separate deadly assault, claimed by the Iran-backed group, halted operations at the same facility.
Saturday's strike stood out as the worst on Saudi territory in over ten years and marked a steep rise in intensity in the Yemen conflict, in which Riyadh has for years given military backing to the internationally recognised government in its battle with the Houthis.
The Houthis have escalated their assaults on Riyadh airport — where three people lost their lives on Thursday — as well as on Saudi oil facilities and tankers plying the Red Sea.
On Sunday, PUNCH Online reported that 12 people had been killed and 309 others injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the third reported strike on the facility within a week, according to the country's General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper, citing the civil aviation authority, reported on Sunday that the attack occurred on Saturday, October 10.
Those who died included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
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