At least 12 people have been killed and 309 injured in an attack on an airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to local authorities. The fatalities included four Saudis, two individuals from Bangladesh, and one each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt, as reported by the Saudi civil aviation authority. Operations at King Khalid International Airport have been suspended following the incident.
A Saudi-led military coalition has vowed to respond to the attack, which it has attributed to the Houthis and labeled a "war crime." Recent fighting has escalated between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, who control a significant portion of Yemen.
On Saturday, a projectile also fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, as stated by the Saudi-led coalition. This attack follows reports that three Saudis, including a pilot, were killed in two prior attacks on the Riyadh airport by the Iran-backed Houthis. Additionally, three people were killed in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.
The Saudi civil aviation authority mentioned that some of the injured individuals are in critical condition and that damage to the airport is currently being assessed. An eyewitness in the domestic terminal reported seeing gate 401 hit and witnessing injuries, stating, "Everyone was running."
More than a dozen ambulances were observed responding to the airport, according to Reuters. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki confirmed that the attack on one of the passenger terminals resulted in civilian casualties among passengers and airport staff, describing the incident as a "full-fledged war crime."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and confirmed the death of an American citizen in the strikes. Western embassies in Saudi Arabia have advised their citizens to avoid the airport, with the UK Foreign Office urging British nationals to stay away until the area is secure.
Several Gulf airlines have canceled flights to and from the airport, with Kuwait Airways citing the "security situation." Aviation tracker Flightradar indicates that all flights to Riyadh have either been diverted or canceled.
The Houthis have stated that they are targeting Saudi Arabia in response to its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war. The conflict has intensified following the Houthis' seizure of key areas along the Red Sea coast, including the port of Mokha, which is crucial for global shipping. Yemeni pro-government forces have claimed to have secured the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
The Saudi-led coalition was established in 2015 to prevent the Houthis from taking control of Yemen from the internationally recognized government. A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of conflict that resulted in significant casualties and a humanitarian crisis. However, the informal truce began to deteriorate in July, with the Houthis declaring a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and vessels in the Red Sea, citing retaliation for a Saudi blockade and an airstrike on the airport in Yemen's capital Sanaa, which is under Houthi control.