A Houthi attack on King Khalid International airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, killed at least 12 people and injured 309 others, the country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has said.
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.
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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.
It was the third attack by the Houthis on the international airport this week. Houthi attacks on King Khalid airport on Thursday killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, according to GACA.
Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended after Saturday’s 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 called the attack 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.
“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” Rubio said in a social media post on Saturday.
The head of the Houthi media office said in a post on X after Saturday’s attack that the group had “shut down Riyadh international airport”.
The Houthis have said airliners should avoid Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations after the Yemeni government launched an offensive against the group on Monday.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are at war with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden.
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.
United States President Donald Trump was asked 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.
“The Saudis are good fighters, but I think the attack was a terrible thing”, Trump remarked.
A ‘security situation’
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 Doha 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.