Missile hits Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing 12; Trump weighs joining Saudi strikes on Houthis

A missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, killing 12 people, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities as reported by The Times of India and The Jerusalem Post. The dead included four Saudi citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan, the same authorities said. More than 300 people were wounded, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities cited by The Times of India and The Jerusalem Post, while NPR reported many wounded without giving a figure. The Jerusalem Post described it as the deadliest such attack in the kingdom in more than a decade and the third on Riyadh's airport in a week; The Times of India described it as the deadliest in a Gulf country since the start of the Iran war. US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the Houthis warned airlines, airport workers and travellers to stay away from Saudi airports, and Yemen's armed forces said they carried out 1,732 precision strikes against Houthi military targets in Operation Dawn of Yemen, according to Arab News.

The attack came during a week of escalation between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The Jerusalem Post reported that Saudi Arabia had stepped up its military involvement in Yemen in recent weeks, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month. NPR reported that the surge in attacks on Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure followed a major military offensive launched against the Houthis by a Saudi-led coalition, with the coalition providing air support for government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea. According to NPR, those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships. The Jerusalem Post described the fighting as a spillover from the wider war on Iran that the US and Israel launched in February.

Arab News, citing Yemen's armed forces spokesperson Majed Al-Nuzaili in a statement on X, reported that the 1,732 strikes involved warplanes, drones, field artillery and rocket launchers and targeted defensive positions, command-and-control centres, reconnaissance posts, artillery and rocket-launcher positions, troop concentrations, weapons depots and supply vehicles, as well as what he described as high-value military targets deep behind Houthi lines. Al-Nuzaili said the operations neutralised more than 900 Houthi fighters and destroyed or disabled more than 287 military vehicles and pieces of equipment, and that they suppressed Houthi fire, disrupted command-and-control systems and interrupted the movement of reinforcements and supplies. He said troops were continuing to breach Houthi defensive positions. Arab News reported that a day earlier the same forces announced more than 1,900 precision strikes across the eastern, western and southwestern fronts in 24 hours, with more than 1,150 fighters neutralised and more than 180 combat, transport and supply vehicles and other assets destroyed or disabled.

The Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to stay away from Saudi airports, according to The Jerusalem Post, saying in a post on X that they renewed their warning against using Saudi airports and airspace because they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for their forces, with the exception of the airports in Mecca and Medina. The statement urged everyone to take the warnings seriously and said Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions, The Jerusalem Post reported. According to NPR, the Houthis warned global airlines for the last time about operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theatre for their military operations. NPR also reported that the Houthis have told the AP and others they are only targeting Saudi shipping as part of a blockade in retaliation for one imposed on them, and that they previously attacked other ships after the war in Gaza began, calling it solidarity with Palestinians, until a US bombing campaign sharply limited that.

Trump told reporters the United States was evaluating whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, according to The Times of India and NPR. The Times of India quoted him saying, "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. We will make a decision. We move very quickly," and also quoting him as saying the Saudis are good fighters but that he thought the attack was a terrible thing. NPR quoted him as saying, "We may. We're going to look at it." and "We just found out about the recent attack. So we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." The Times of India reported that the attacks are expected to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia's allies, including the US, to provide military support. NPR reported that US assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis, and that regional officials said last month that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defence support to the region, with one official noting the US has seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran.

Saudi civil aviation authorities said airport operations were suspended and the extent of injuries and damage was being assessed, according to NPR, and said operations were temporarily suspended pending damage and safety assessments without specifying when flights would resume, according to The Jerusalem Post. NPR reported that an official notice to aviators put the suspension through midnight, that the airport had a heavy police presence with all entrances blocked and lights dimmed, and that flights were diverted elsewhere according to the Flightradar24 tracker. NPR reported at least 291 flights at the Riyadh airport had been cancelled over the previous 24 hours according to FlightAware, and that Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among carriers suspending flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods. NPR reported that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, noting the Houthis' ability to strike deeper inside the kingdom including Riyadh, a greater focus on aviation infrastructure, and an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft from missile and drone attacks and interception efforts.

The US Mission in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Sunday urging American citizens to avoid King Khalid International Airport and surrounding areas and advising extreme caution at major Saudi airports, according to The Times of India, which said the alert followed the October 10 attacks and warned of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions. The mission said US government employees in Saudi Arabia required special authorisation to use King Khalid International Airport as well as airports in Jeddah and Dammam, according to the same report. NPR reported that countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.

The Saudi energy ministry said a long-planned international energy conference was still going ahead in Riyadh on Sunday, according to The Jerusalem Post, which reported that the five-day WPC Energy Congress is being held at a convention centre about 10 km from the airport. State TV said more than 70 ministers, 300 company executives and representatives of more than 25 international energy organisations had confirmed attendance, and it was not immediately clear whether participants would attend in person or virtually, The Jerusalem Post reported. A ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum was also set to go ahead the same day, with its plenary session behind closed doors according to a media advisory, with no further details immediately available. Separately, Saudi authorities notified parents that in-person classes would be suspended and shifted to remote learning from Sunday until Thursday for all students, teachers and administrative staff, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Earlier in the week, the Houthis claimed attacks on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot, according to The Times of India and NPR. The Jerusalem Post reported that two previous attacks on the airport earlier in the week had killed four people and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac. According to NPR, two regional officials said Houthi attacks on the Riyadh airport on Thursday damaged three planes, and the Saudi national carrier said one of its aircraft was damaged while on the ground with no passengers on board. NPR also reported that there was no immediate statement from the rebels on Saturday's strike, and that the Houthis earlier on Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital. The Jerusalem Post reported that the Saudi-led coalition said a projectile had also fallen near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in the kingdom's Eastern Province, and that the coalition reported intercepting a drone in the region on Sunday. NPR reported that Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and his Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions in the region, and that Saudi authorities warned the public this week that filming, publishing or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes people to legal liability.

Where sources differ

• The Jerusalem Post reports that two earlier attacks on Riyadh's airport during the week killed four people, while The Times of India and NPR report that earlier attacks on the airport this week killed three Saudis, including a pilot.
• The Times of India and The Jerusalem Post put the number of wounded in Saturday's attack at more than 300, citing Saudi civil aviation authorities; NPR reports that many people were wounded without stating a figure.
• The Jerusalem Post says the 12 dead included 2 Bangladeshis, while The Times of India lists Bangladesh among the nationalities without giving a count.
• The Jerusalem Post characterises the attack as the deadliest such attack in the kingdom in more than a decade, while The Times of India describes it as the deadliest in a Gulf country since the start of the Iran war.
• The Times of India and NPR render Trump's remarks on a decision in slightly different wording, with The Times of India quoting "We will make a decision" and NPR quoting "So we'll make a decision."

• No source states who carried out Saturday's strike on King Khalid International Airport; the Houthis claimed earlier attacks during the week, but no source reports a claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, and NPR says there was no immediate statement from the rebels.
• No source describes the origin, type or interception status of the missile that struck the terminals 3 and 4 complex.
• No source independently verifies the Yemeni armed forces' figures for Operation Dawn of Yemen or for the previous day's operations, and no Houthi response to those specific claims appears in any source.
• No source establishes when Riyadh airport operations or flights will resume, beyond a suspension reported as running through midnight by an official notice to aviators.
• No source establishes whether participants will attend the WPC Energy Congress and the International Energy Forum ministerial in person or virtually, or provides further details on the closed plenary session.
• No source quotes a named Saudi government official responding directly to the airport attack, to Trump's statement, or on who is responsible, beyond statements from the civil aviation authority, the energy ministry, the coalition and education authorities.
• No source provides a final casualty count for the wounded beyond the more than 300 figure cited to Saudi civil aviation authorities by two outlets, and no source lists the number of injured by nationality.
• None of the sources resolves the discrepancy over how many people were killed in the earlier airport attacks during the week.

1. Arab News — original — by Arab News
2. The Jerusalem Post — by REUTERS
3. The Times of India — by AASTHA JHA

Read the original at Arab News

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