EU chief slams Houthi Riyadh airport attack as 'dangerous escalation'

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called the deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport a "dangerous escalation" and said the Iran-backed group must halt strikes on civilian targets.

"These attacks by Iran's proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence. They are destabilizing crucial global transport and energy nodes with shockwave sent through the world. These murderous attacks at civilians must stop at once," von der Leyen wrote online, adding the EU stands in "solidarity with Saudi Arabia".

The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas subsequently denounced the attack as an "appalling act of terror".

"There can be no justification for indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure," she posted.

Kallas said she was in close contact with her Saudi counterpart and insisted enhancing cooperation between an EU naval mission in the Red Sea and a Riyadh-led maritime coalition was "vital".