RIYADH: A fresh Houthi strike hit Riyadh`s international airport on Sunday, a day after another attack claimed by the Yemeni group killed atleasta dozenpeople and forced authorities to suspend operations at the facility.

Saturday`s attack, the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, was a sharp escalation in the Yemen war, where Riyadh backs the internationally recognised government against the Houthis.

The Houthi group on Sunday claimed multiple attacks over the last 24hours, including on the airport, and threatened to keep targeting the kingdom`s transit hubs, calling them `a theatre of operations for our forces`.

Hours later, the Saudi coalition fighting the group reported that a projectile struck King Khalid International Airport, sparking a fire. Air defences also intercepted a missile nearby, it added.

The civil aviation authority said the attack caused an unspecified number of injuries, and that a damage assessment was underway.

Journalists and locals reported hearing the sound of multiple blasts in the Saudi capital on Sunday. `The birds went into a frenzy after the sound. The whole house shook,` said one resident of the Al-Aarid neighbourhood in the north of the city.

`Full-fledged war crime` The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on the Riyadh airport where three people were also killed on Thursday as well as on other key targets in the world`s top crude oil exporter.

And although Saudi Arabia has poured billions into its military, Houthi attacks continue to slip through.

The anti-Houthi coalition called Saturday`s attack a `full-fledged war crime` and vowed to `respond decisively`.

Houthi media reported two Saudi strikes in Yemen`s Houthi-controlled Sanaa governorate on Sunday.

Saturday`s attack drew condemnationfrom the United Nations and leaders around the world, including US President Donald Trump, who said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, also denounced the `horrific terrorist attack`.

Four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese were killed, the civil aviation authority said, with 309 wounded.

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia also said one of its citizens died on Sunday after being wounded the day before.

A Riyadh-based Western diplomat said the official number of injured may not give a full picture, as it did not appear to include those with minor wounds.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said six Pakistani nationals were among those injured in the attack and expressed hope for their swift recovery.

He said Pakistan`s embassy in Riyadh was in close contact with Saudi authoritiesand was extending assistance to the affected families.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, saying Pakistan remained committed to Saudi Arabia`s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

Separately, the Regional Four (R4) group comprising Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye condemned the continuing Houthi attacks as a `dangerous escalation` and a `blatant violation of international law`.

The group expressed support for measures taken by Saudi Arabia to counter the attacks, held the Houthis responsible for their consequences and demanded an immediate and unconditional halt to the strikes.

Operations suspended Authorities suspended operations at the airport into Sunday, a senior aviation source said, with air traffic monitor Flightradar24saying the closure was extended until 2100 GMT.

A second aviation source confirmed the halt in operations `until further notice`, adding radar and communications equipment was damaged and runways needed to be assessed.

Witnesses to Saturday`s strike described chaos in the aftermath.

`People who were in Terminal 3 started running towards us,` a 32-year-old Riyadh resident said. `Some had lost a hand or an arm. People were running while carrying injured people, covered in blood.

The attack prompted health officials to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors, a medical source said.

The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies in Saudi Arabia have warned their citizens to avoid Riyadh airport, while Australia urged its citizens on Sunday to stay indoors altogether and `shelter in place`.

The Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Dammam airport, whose officialwebsite on Sunday showed many flights both departures and arrivals were delayed.

Saturday`s airport strike, on the eve of Saudi Arabia`s high-profile convention and entertainment season, was the deadliest attack in the kingdom since a 2015 suicide bombing.

With the summer heat subsiding, October also usually marks the beginning of the high season for Umrah pilgrims, with millions of Muslims from across the world flocking to Makkah.

Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that has supported Yemen`s government militarily since 2015, including by seeking to exert control over Yemeni airspace and the airport in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

On the ground in Yemen, Saudi-supported government forces were advancing in their counter-offensive against the Houthis around the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key shipping route, military sources said Saturday.

The Houthis claimed to have repelled them.-Agencies