Asiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Houthi Missile Strike Hits Terminal 3 At King Khalid International Airport In Riyadh
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Twelve killed and around 309 injured in the Riyadh airport attack. King Khalid International Airport suspended operations and flights diverted.
25 outlets told this the same way.
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Terminal 3 Hit
A Houthi missile strike hit Terminal 3 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, triggering flight cancellations and a major emergency response across the capital. Civil aviation authorities and emergency teams set up safety perimeters around Terminal 3 while assessing structural damage, and airport officials ordered the evacuation of affected airport sections. Riyadh residents reported hearing multiple loud blasts echoing across the city during the attack, and one resident told the Associated Press, “I heard at least two massive explosions that shook the area,”.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority later said the attack killed 12 people and injured 309 others, and it said the dead included four Saudi citizens and two Bangladeshis. The Civil Aviation Authority also said operations at the airport were temporarily suspended after the attack as officials assessed damage and determined the exact number of injuries.
Casualty Figures Clash
A hospital medical source told Agence France-Presse that at least five people were receiving intensive care after injuries at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and the source added that “there are at least five of the injured, all Saudis, in intensive care,”. The BBC also reported that witnesses and informed sources heard a loud explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with no comment yet from the Saudi government’s Information Office or the General Authority of Civil Aviation. Al Jazeera said the General Authority of Civil Aviation stated that the late Saturday attack killed four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese.
CNN reported that the Saudi Civil Aviation authority said the third attack this week left at least 12 people dead on Saturday and 309 wounded, and it said the wounded were evacuated to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter. CNN also said the Houthi military spokesperson retweeted his own post on X, adding the words “a reminder.”
Regional Repercussions
The attack prompted foreign embassies in Riyadh to issue advisories, and the US mission said it was “strongly recommends” all US citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas.
The UK and Irish embassies warned their nationals about “a serious incident” at the airport, while Canada’s embassy advised citizens in Riyadh to avoid all travel to the airport due to “ongoing military activity”.
Kuwait Airways canceled flights because the airport had closed due to a “security situation,” and flight-tracking showed all flights to Riyadh were diverted or canceled.
The BBC reported that a well-placed diplomatic source told AFP that the Ansar Allah group targeted Riyadh Airport with a missile, and the source said, “Riyadh Airport is a civilian target,”.
The incident also fed into wider diplomatic and military questions, with US President Donald Trump telling reporters outside the White House, “We may. We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision.”