Asiaupdated 43m ago2 min read
Houthis Attack Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Killing 12 and Injuring 309
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Twelve people were killed and about 309 injured at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the airport.
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Riyadh airport blast
An explosion was heard near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, with smoke briefly seen rising, according to a Xinhua correspondent. Local authorities said at least 12 people were killed and 309 injured in an attack on the international airport in Riyadh, and the BBC reported that operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended after the attack.
The Saudi-led coalition later vowed to respond to the attack, which it called a "war crime" and blamed on Yemen's Houthis, and Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki said an "unknown projectile" hit Passenger Hall No 4 at the airport, causing a fire authorities were dealing with. The BBC said the deaths included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, while DW said the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation initially reported that "King Khalid International Airport was targeted by an attack".
Condemnations and response
UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was "deeply shocked" by the attacks which he called a "violation of international law" that "must cease immediately."
Kuwait's foreign ministry called the strikes a "heinous and cowardly attack," and the BBC said the attacks were also condemned by Egypt, Palestine and Qatar.
US President Donald Trump said, "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," and the BBC reported that he indicated he may join the Saudis in carrying out strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki described the attack as a "full-fledged war crime" and said the attack on one of the passenger terminals resulted in deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport staff, while the BBC said Western embassies in Saudi Arabia warned their citizens to stay away from the Riyadh airport.
Airport disruption and stakes
The BBC said operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended after the attack, and it reported that for the second time in less than a month, schools in Riyadh switched to remote learning for the week. The BBC said Western embassies in Saudi Arabia warned their citizens to stay away from the Riyadh airport, and it reported that the UK Foreign Office told British nationals to avoid the area "until the airport is secure."
The BBC said the Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised government, and it reported that a temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The BBC said the informal truce began to unravel in July, and it reported that the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.