Attack on Riyadh airport kills 12, injures over 300: Saudi

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement early on Sunday that the late Saturday attack killed four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese.

It said some of the injured were in critical condition and that all were receiving medical care in hospital.

The attack also caused property damage, which is still being assessed.

Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended after the attack, GACA said in an earlier statement, adding that officials were assessing the damage and determining the exact number of injuries.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen blamed the Houthis for the attack on the passenger terminal, calling it a “full-fledged war crime”. Spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Malki said the coalition would “respond decisively to this terrorist attack in accordance with the Customary International Humanitarian Law”.

Al-Malki also confirmed a separate incident, saying in a post on X that “a projectile fell in the vicinity of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington “strongly condemns” Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including Saturday’s attack on King Khalid airport, which the Houthis have not claimed responsibility for.

“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” Rubio said in a social media post on Saturday.

Houthi attacks on King Khalid airport on Thursday killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, according to GACA.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are at war with Riyadh and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Yemen on Saturday, said the Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for the latest attack.

But the Iran-backed group has warned aviation companies to avoid using Saudi airspace, saying any aircraft operating there – except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina – is a target.

Earlier on Saturday, King Khalid airport urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before heading to the airport amid reports of disruptions to air traffic. The airport did not specify the cause of the disruptions in its initial advisory.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also instructed Saudi citizens travelling to the kingdom to contact local embassies if their travel itineraries have been disrupted following the attack.

Following reports of the latest attack, United States President Donald Trump was asked by reporters outside the White House whether Washington planned to join the Saudi strikes on the Houthis.

“We may. We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the ⁠⁠⁠⁠recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” he said.

At the same time, foreign embassies in Riyadh, including those of the US, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, issued advisories on social media to their citizens in Saudi Arabia.

The US mission said it was “aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh” and “strongly recommends” all US citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas.

The UK and Irish embassies advised their nationals about “a serious incident” at the airport. Canada’s embassy advised citizens in Riyadh to avoid all travel to the airport, noting “ongoing military activity”.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Saturday’s attack in the “strongest terms”, saying it considered it “a direct threat to the security of the region”. Jordan and Oman expressed sympathy and solidarity with Riyadh.

Japan’s embassy also “strongly” condemned Houthi attacks on airports and other Saudi civilian facilities.

Kuwait Airways said it was cancelling flights because the airport had closed due to a “security situation”.

On Thursday, the Houthi military spokesperson said the group had launched a ballistic missile towards the airport in Riyadh, claiming it successfully hit its intended target, causing damage and disrupting air traffic.

Days earlier, alleged Houthi attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports killed three civilians and injured 36 others, reports AL Jazeera.