At least 12 people were killed and 309 wounded in a Houthi attack on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, Saudi authorities said, as the Iran-backed group escalated its campaign against the kingdom. Saudi authorities blamed the Houthis for the attack, while a Saudi-led military coalition vowed to respond.
The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation. Hospitals were overwhelmed by casualties brought in by ambulances and helicopters.
Some of the wounded are in critical condition. The attack was the third on King Khalid International Airport this week and the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Saturday's strike occurred without warning, as no alert was issued by the country's threat warning system. The two earlier attacks killed four people and caused extensive damage to a Saudi commercial aircraft.
The strikes have raised questions about vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia's air defenses as the kingdom conducts an air campaign against the Houthis in support of a ground offensive by Yemen's internationally recognized government. All flights to Riyadh were diverted or canceled on Saturday, temporarily disrupting operations at the airport serving a city of around 8 million people.
The head of the Houthi media office stated on X that the group had 'shut down Riyadh international airport.' The US embassy in Riyadh advised American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas. US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis, stating, 'We may.
We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision.'
International observers have expressed deep concern over the escalation, warning that such attacks on civilian infrastructure could lead to a wider regional conflict. The Saudi-led coalition has intensified its surveillance operations in the region to prevent further incursions, while regional leaders have called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilian lives.