Death toll rises after second attack on Saudi airport
Updated . First published at
An international airport in Saudi Arabia has been hit with a second missile attack a day after a deadly strike killed 12 people and injured hundreds more.
The Houthi rebel group in Yemen has claimed responsibility for both attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, saying in a statement they were in response to a bombing campaign by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen which incurred civilian casualties.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. UGC via AP
The Houthis also claimed to have attacked King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
Saudi authorities have confirmed that airport was also struck, saying authorities were assessing the damage.
While the most recent two attacks resulted only in injuries and infrastructure damage, the strike on King Khalid airport on Saturday local time saw 12 people dead including multiple international citizens.
Local authorities said four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian, and a Sudanese person were killed, while Indian authorities have said an Indian person wounded in the attack later died.
More than 300 others were injured, and hundreds of flights were grounded.
US President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis in Yemen following the attack, having previously resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention.
The attack was part of a series of strikes on King Khalid International Airport last week. Six people were killed and dozens more wounded in attacks on the airport between Tuesday and Thursday, according to Saudi authorities.
One traveller at the airport during Saturday’s attack told Reuters news agency they saw something fly across the sky outside before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.
Another recalled hearing an explosion before seeing several people lying wounded on the ground.
An eyewitness video released by Reuters showed large boards and debris strewn across the terminal floor, with people moving through a dust-filled hall.
King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest, serves the capital, Riyadh, a city of about eight million people.
Nasr al-Din Amer, a senior Houthi official, appeared to acknowledge responsibility, writing on X: “We shut down Riyadh international airport.”
Australia, the US, UK, Spain and Canada are among countries warning their citizens against travelling to the country.
Saturday’s incident has exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom’s defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is fighting the Houthis on the ground.
People gather outside a metro station on the road to King Khalid International Airport. AP Photo/
With Iranian assistance, the Houthis have built up a large arsenal of missiles, including ballistic weapons, as well as a range of drones.
A Houthi military statement Sunday reiterated a warning to all airlines and travelers against using Saudi airports and airspace, “as they are vulnerable to targeting … with the exception of Mecca and Medina airports.”
“Saudi Arabia will bear responsibility for any failed attempts to intercept” missiles, the Houthi statement said, and it would continue responding to “blockades with blockades, and escalation with escalation.”
The group has also warned airliners against using Saudi airspace.
‘We’ll make a decision’
Trump said on the weekend he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the attack.
“They’re able to defend. The Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing,” Trump said when asked whether Saudi Arabia could defend itself against the Houthis.
Asked outside the White House whether Washington planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, a militia aligned with US foe Iran, Trump told reporters: “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.”
Trump has said the US is considering intervening. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Last month, Trump rejected two appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for US strikes against the Houthis, CNN reported at the time.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a US citizen was among those killed and condemned the attacks as showing “a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life,” in a post on X.
The US Embassy in Riyadh in a statement on Sunday said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths in Saturday’s strike. The embassy extended condolences to the families of those killed and wished a “full and swift recovery” to those injured.
Wounded people, including some in critical condition, were rushed to hospitals Saturday by ambulance and helicopter, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The attacks have been a major disruption to travel. AP Photo/
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg called the attacks “a grave escalation” that poses a serious threat to regional security, in a post on X.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the latest strike and said “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law,” also writing on X.
Saudi miscalculations
The civil war in Yemen flared up once again this summer and significantly intensified last month, after years of relative calm.
In retaliation for a Saudi blockade on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the Houthis announced in July they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, and began a campaign of missile attacks against Saudi infrastructure, including oil refineries.
Last month, they conducted a lightning offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Mocha and closing in on Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
That led the Saudi-backed Yemeni government based in Aden to launch a major offensive, but it has struggled to retake much ground.
Saudi Arabia has for 11 years tried to contain the conflict on its southern border through military force and diplomacy – first waging war with the Houthis, then pursuing peace talks with them and restoring diplomatic talks with their backer, Tehran.
A portrait of Buthaina Ahmad Oweida, the Syrian woman who died in yesterday’s attack on the Riyadh airport, is displayed on her nephew’s phone. Omar Albam
Despite the efforts, a series of miscalculations has left Riyadh exposed to further conflict in Yemen, experts say.
Saudi Arabia ended its longstanding partnership with the UAE late last year over its backing of a rival force in Yemen, misjudged Trump’s willingness to back it if it needed support, and struggled to organise disintegrated armed factions fighting the Houthis.
The escalation threatens Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions to become an international destination for business and tourism.
On Sunday, the Saudi energy ministry said the World Petroleum Congress began as scheduled in Riyadh, but it’s unclear how many delegates are attending.
Reported with CNN.
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