Riyadh airport attack kills 12, injures 300 as Saudi flights halt

Saudi authorities said an attack on Riyadh airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others, with some of the wounded in critical condition. The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, and one each from Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.

The attack came as Saudi Arabia faces a surge in strikes linked to the conflict involving the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. US President Donald Trump said Washington was weighing whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, saying, "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."

Earlier on Saturday, a regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said a missile hit a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights at King Khalid Airport and wounded many people. The Houthis had also claimed attacks earlier in the week on the same airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot.

There was no immediate statement from the Houthis on the latest strike. Earlier on Saturday, the rebels accused Saudi Arabia of attacking Sanaa Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.

Saudi civil aviation authorities said operations at Riyadh airport were suspended and the extent of the injuries and damage was being assessed. An official notice to aviators said the suspension would remain in place until midnight. The airport was under heavy police presence, all entrances were blocked, and lights around the complex were dimmed.

Flight tracker Flightradar24 said flights were diverted elsewhere. The United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada were among the countries that warned their citizens to avoid the airport.

The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, have unsettled markets and the wider region. Even so, the Saudi energy ministry continued to promote a major international energy conference due to begin in Riyadh on Sunday.

Fighting in Yemen has intensified, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support to government forces trying to roll back recent Houthi advances along the Red Sea. Those gains have given the rebels better surveillance over a shipping route seen as an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.

While the Houthis have told AP and others that they are targeting only Saudi shipping as part of a blockade in response to one imposed on them, concerns over broader attacks remain. The Houthis had earlier targeted other ships after the war in Gaza began, calling it an act of solidarity with Palestinians. A US bombing campaign had sharply limited that.

Regional officials told AP last month that Saudi Arabia was running low on missile interceptors and had asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to provide air defence support in the region. One official said the United States had also seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran. Officials have said US support to Saudi Arabia has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that its foreign minister and his Omani counterpart had spoken by phone about the importance of "supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions" in the region. Oman, across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has at times played a mediating role in the region.

Saudi authorities also warned the public this week that "filming, publishing or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability."

Flight disruption has continued to widen. The Houthis this week warned global airlines "for the last time" about the possible consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theatre for their military operations. FlightAware said at least 291 flights at Riyadh airport had been cancelled in the previous 24 hours. Even before the latest attack, Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan Airlines were among the carriers that had suspended flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for different periods.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also widened its guidance on Saudi airspace, pointing to the Houthis’ ability to strike deeper inside the kingdom, including Riyadh, and to a "greater focus on aviation infrastructure". It said missile and drone attacks, along with interception efforts, "create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft".

The latest attack on Riyadh airport has added to a fast-rising confrontation around Saudi Arabia and Yemen, leaving 12 dead, hundreds injured, airport operations suspended and international concern growing over the risks to civilians, aviation and regional stability.

With PTI Inputs

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