At least 12 people have been killed and 309 injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to local authorities. The fatalities include four Saudis, two individuals from Bangladesh, and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt, as reported by the Saudi civil aviation authority. Operations at the airport have been suspended following the attack.
A Saudi-led military coalition has vowed to respond to the attack, which it attributes to the Houthis, labeling it a 'war crime.' The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for this latest attack but were involved in previous strikes on the airport that resulted in three deaths and damage to an aircraft.
Fighting has intensified recently between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, who control a significant portion of Yemen. This attack is noted as the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since May 2015.
In addition to the strikes on Riyadh's airport, a projectile also fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on the same day, as reported by the Saudi-led coalition. The attacks follow the deaths of three Saudis, including a pilot, in prior Houthi attacks on the airport.
The Saudi civil aviation authority indicated that some of the injured individuals are in critical condition and that damage to the airport is currently being assessed. Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of chaos, with individuals running for safety.
More than a dozen ambulances were dispatched to the airport, according to Reuters. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki confirmed that the attack on a passenger terminal resulted in civilian casualties.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed the death of an American citizen. President Donald Trump stated that the US would consider its response to the recent attack. UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed deep shock at the events, calling them a violation of international law.
The attacks have drawn condemnation from Egypt, Palestine, and Qatar, while Western embassies in Saudi Arabia have advised their citizens to avoid the airport area until it is deemed secure. Several Gulf airlines have canceled flights to and from the airport due to the security situation.
The Houthis claim their actions are in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's support of government forces in Yemen's civil war. The conflict has escalated since the Houthis seized key areas along the Red Sea coast, including the strategic port of Mokha. The Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 to counter the Houthi advances and protect the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
A temporary ceasefire was established in 2022, but it has since deteriorated, with the Houthis announcing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and conducting missile and drone attacks on various targets within the kingdom.