Saudi Airport Attack Kills Dozens Amid Regional Tensions
At least a dozen people were killed and hundreds injured in a "brutal" attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, according to Saudi aviation authorities, amid ongoing escalations in the region.
A dozen people were killed and more than 300 others injured during a "brutal" attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced. The agency reported that the airport sustained "material damage, the extent of which is currently being assessed."
The fatalities included one American citizen, two Bangladeshi citizens, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian, and one Sudanese citizen, according to the Saudi agency. Earlier in the week, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacks on the same airport that resulted in three Saudi nationals being killed. Operations at the airport have since resumed and air traffic has returned to normal, the authority stated.
The incident occurs against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions. In February, President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran, involving joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government, and infrastructure sites. Delegations from the U.S. and Iran subsequently entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal, but these talks faltered as the countries continued to exchange strikes, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.
In August, Trump stated that the U.S. would launch a "crushing economic operation" to pressure Tehran. The U.S. has also reported instances of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy targeting commercial vessels. In one instance on Friday, the IRGC Navy claimed it had targeted an LPG carrier south of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a significant fire aboard the vessel named NV Sunshine. The IRGC Navy warned that companies working with the U.S. would face sanctions and punitive measures, extending potential actions beyond the Strait of Hormuz to any vessel traversing unauthorized routes in the region.
Despite the escalating tensions, Trump stated in October that the U.S. was engaged in "productive discussions" with Iran and would not initiate attacks before the U.S. midterm elections. He also noted that Iran was in a "very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily," while maintaining a blockade with oil flowing in record numbers through the Strait of Hormuz.