US Considers Response to Deadly Airport Attack in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has extended the closure of its main international airport after a missile attack on the facility killed 12 people and injured more than 300, marking a significant escalation in the conflict between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis and the kingdom.

The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthis for Saturday afternoon's attack on King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh. The incident was the deadliest attack in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the war.

Following the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump stated he was considering whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the rebels. "We may. We’re going to look at it," Trump said Saturday. "We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly."

Airport operations were suspended Saturday and authorities extended the closure until at least 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Flightradar 24.

The Saudi statement identified the deceased as four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese. The injured are receiving medical treatment.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in a social media post that an American citizen had been killed in the attack, which he condemned.

The attack is expected to increase pressure on Saudi allies, including the United States, to provide military support to the kingdom. The Houthis did not immediately issue a statement, but had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.

The Houthis have claimed responsibility for earlier attacks this week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot. The surge in attacks, which have also targeted other Saudi airports, military facilities, and oil infrastructure, follows a major military offensive launched by the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis.

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis began in 2015 when the kingdom entered Yemen's civil war. Relative calm, following a 2022 ceasefire, ended in July when the Houthis resumed attacks. The rebels stated that the Saudis had fired on Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was attempting to land, reigniting anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-controlled areas.

Fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi advances along the Red Sea. These advances have given the rebels enhanced surveillance capabilities over shipping lanes crucial to the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has previously indicated it is running low on missile interceptors and had requested air defense support from several countries, including France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt, according to regional officials. The Houthis had also warned global airlines about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.