At least 12 people killed, including an American, and 309 wounded in a missile attack on Riyadh's airport, believed to have been carried out by the Houthis.
At least 12 people were killed and 309 others injured in an attack on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority announced.
The incident marked the third attack on the airport within a week, prompting authorities to suspend operations temporarily and divert all flights. Western governments also urged their citizens to stay away from the airport and its surrounding areas.
According to Saudi officials, the fatalities included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshi citizens and one person each from the United States, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was killed in the attack, saying in a statement, "The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist Houthis, including today’s strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen."
“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now. We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families," he added.
No organization immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. However, the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen has intensified its missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and claimed responsibility for the two previous strikes on the airport earlier in the week.
Those attacks killed four people and caused extensive damage to a Saudi commercial aircraft.
People familiar with the latest incident, including two Western officials, cautioned that the reported casualty figures remained preliminary and could rise.
They said the attack occurred without advance warning, as Saudi Arabia's threat detection and warning system failed to issue an alert.
Emergency responders transported the wounded to hospitals using ambulances and helicopters. Several victims were reported to be in critical condition.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that operations at the airport, the busiest in the kingdom and serving the approximately eight million residents of Riyadh, had been temporarily halted.
The repeated attacks have raised concerns about Saudi Arabia's air defense capabilities as the kingdom continues conducting airstrikes against the Houthis in support of a Yemeni government ground offensive against the Iranian-backed group.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington could consider participating in Saudi military operations against the Houthis.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump was asked whether the United States intended to join the Saudi strikes.
“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.
The US Embassy in Riyadh also issued a security warning following the incident.
The embassy said it was “aware of attacks" and “strongly recommends all US citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas."
Saudi Arabia first entered Yemen's civil war in 2015, leading an Arab coalition in support of the internationally recognized government after the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa.
A ceasefire reached in 2022 largely brought cross-border hostilities to a halt. However, fighting resumed in July amid the broader conflict involving Iran.
During their latest offensive, the Houthis gained control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, including the port city of Mokha and three strategically important islands overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major international shipping route.
Last Sunday, Yemen's internationally recognized government announced the beginning of a large-scale military campaign to recapture territory under Houthi control.
The following day, the Saudi-led coalition announced its own military operation in Yemen's Hodeidah province, joining the government's effort to regain territory from the Iran-backed group.
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