Yemenupdated 2h ago2 min read
Houthis Carry Out Second Strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Killing Pakistani Resident
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Second strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport targeted by Houthis. Pakistani national killed; 11 others injured per Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.
Riyadh airport hit again
Houthis carried out a second strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities said, killing a Pakistani resident and wounding 11 others.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said the Sunday attack followed a missile hit on Saturday that killed 12 people and injured more than 300, with the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen saying it was responsible for the earlier strike.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and warned that Saudi airports and airspace were vulnerable, calling them “a theatre of operations for our forces”.
The strikes came as the Houthis also said the airport under their control in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa had been struck again, and the Houthis blamed the Saudis without providing details.
The escalation threatened to draw in greater U.S. military involvement, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying he was weighing joining the fight against the rebels.
Warnings, closures, and claims
The Houthis reiterated their warning to all airline companies, telling them not to use Saudi airports or airspace, as “they are unsafe”.
Saudi authorities extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport by 24 hours until 2100 GMT on Monday, according to Flightradar24, after the Sunday projectile struck a passenger terminal and sparked a fire.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said it would “respond decisively” after Saturday’s attack, which the coalition described as a “full-fledged war crime”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the attack, telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews, “I think it’s horrific.”
The Houthis also claimed the Saturday airport strike was followed by further attacks, and the BBC said the group took responsibility for multiple “targeted” attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past 24 hours.
Yemen war spillover
Saudi Arabia said it would “respond decisively” against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, after the airport strike brought the conflict home to the Saudi capital. The Guardian reported that the escalating attacks threatened to draw more countries into the Yemen conflict and widen regional fallout of the US-Iran war, which has already spread to Lebanon and Iraq. The Houthis warned airlines, passengers and staff to stay away from Saudi airports, saying “the worst is yet to come” if Saudi military action in Yemen continued.
The Guardian said direct U.S. involvement could prompt the Houthis to resume targeting ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait, through which about 10% of global maritime goods transit. The Houthis’ campaign also included claims of attacks on oil and gas facilities and, separately, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said 91 Yemenis had been killed and 168 injured by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks.