Major Houthi attack on Saudi airport kills at least 12, hundreds wounded
By Laura Sharman, CNN
(CNN) — At least 12 people were killed and hundreds wounded on Saturday when Yemen’s Houthi militants struck an airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, as the Iran-backed group escalated its campaign against the kingdom.
It was the third strike on the international hub this week, and the deadliest attack against the major US ally in more than a decade.
The attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi residents, and one resident each from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan, the kingdom’s civil aviation body said Sunday, adding that 309 people were wounded.
One traveler 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.
All flights were diverted from the city, home to roughly 8 million people, and airport operations were temporarily halted, Reuters said, citing the Saudi civil aviation authority.
Around 580 flights were cancelled on Sunday so far, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
An eyewitness video released by Reuters showed large boards and debris strewn across the terminal floor, with people moving through a dust-filled hall.
The US, UK, Spain and Canada are among countries warning their citizens against using the airport.
Saturday’s incident has exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom’s defense capabilities as it wages an air campaign in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is fighting the Houthis on the ground.
After the blast, the head of the Houthi media office said the group had “shut down” the airport in a post on X, Reuters said.
The group also warned airliners against using Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations after Yemen launched an offensive against the group on Monday, Reuters added.
Saudi Arabia’s Coalition Joint Forces Command confirmed the Houthis were behind the attack, which struck the airport’s passenger terminal and killed both passengers and staff.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday 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.”
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.
Wounded people, including some in critical condition, were rushed to hospitals Saturday by ambulance and helicopter, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Two previous attacks at the airport this week killed four people and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane, Reuters said.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the latest strike and said “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law,” in a post on X.
The civil war in Yemen flared up once again this summer and significantly intensified last month, after years of relative calm.
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.
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 organize disintegrated armed factions fighting the Houthis.
Now, Riyadh is trying to regain its footing by supporting its Yemeni partners in yet another campaign against the Houthis, an operation named “Yemen’s Dawn.”
CNN’s Michael Williams and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
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