Iran-backed Houthis claim airport attacks in Saudi capital, including one that killed 12
The Saudi-led coalition said a projectile struck a passenger terminal at the international airport in Riyadh on Sunday, a day after a missile attack killed 12 people and wounded 300.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the latest attacks on the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, including a missile strike on Saturday that killed 12 people and wounded 300. The Saudi-led coalition announced Sunday that a projectile struck a passenger terminal at the King Khalid International Airport, which serves domestic flights.
The airport remained closed Sunday following the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab nation since the Iran war began. The sharp escalation in the conflict threatens to draw in greater U.S. military involvement, with President Donald Trump having stated he is considering joining the fight against the Houthis. The White House had no immediate comment on Sunday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's strike, which occurred shortly after the Houthis alleged they had been targeted by Saudi airstrikes on the airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held Yemeni capital. The Houthis have previously targeted Saudi airports, oil and military installations.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, wrote on X that airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were exempt from the warnings. The kingdom had previously declared Mecca a “red line.”
A Saudi statement identified the 12 individuals killed in Saturday's attack as four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese. The Egyptian victim was identified as a flight attendant for the Saudi airline Flynas.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for earlier attacks this week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot, and a Sudanese national. The airport, which has been targeted daily since at least Wednesday, has no military facilities.
The conflict, which began in 2015 when Saudi Arabia entered Yemen's civil war, saw a relative calm after a 2022 ceasefire. However, the Houthis resumed attacks in July, stating the Saudis fired on the Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was attempting to land. This revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-run areas. The Houthis now claim to have imposed a blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains near the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.
International observers suggest that Houthi pressure tactics could backfire, potentially making Saudi Arabia more determined to continue its campaign rather than step back.