A missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital killed at least 12 people and injured 309 on Saturday, Saudi authorities said, marking the third such strike in a week claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed the dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. Several of the wounded were in critical condition. Airport operations were suspended as authorities assessed damage to a passenger terminal.
Houthi forces claimed responsibility, describing the strike as part of an intensified campaign against Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led military coalition condemned the attack as a “full-fledged war crime” and vowed a decisive response. US officials confirmed an American citizen was among the dead and strongly condemned the strikes.
Earlier attacks this week on the same airport and other Saudi facilities had already killed three people and disrupted flights. The latest incident comes amid escalating fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces, with airlines diverting or cancelling services and international bodies warning of risks to civilian aviation.
Hospitals in Riyadh treated scores of injured passengers and staff as emergency teams responded to the scene.
