At least twelve dead in airport attack – over 300 injured
At least twelve people were killed and 309 injured in Saturday's attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia, the country's aviation authority reports.
On Sunday, the Iran-backed Houthi movement warned people against using Saudi airports, AFP reports.
The attack targeted King Khalid Airport outside the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday afternoon. Air traffic was halted following the incident, but it was not until late in the evening that Saudi authorities released a death toll.
According to the country's aviation authority, "some" of the at least 309 injured people are being treated for serious injuries. Damage to the airport's facilities is being assessed, and it has not yet been fully clarified—by official sources—exactly how the attack was carried out. A source speaking to the AP describes the incident as a missile attack that damaged two terminals.
A source within the Saudi aviation sector tells AFP that the airport will remain closed until Sunday evening.
The news agency Reuters reports that no warning was issued to the public in advance by Saudi defense systems.
"Everyone ran"
A traveler tells AFP that they witnessed an attack in one of the airport's domestic terminals.
"I was at gate 403 and I saw gate 401 get hit. I saw injured people right before my eyes." "Everyone was running," the witness told AFP.
Saudi Arabia has identified the Iran-backed Houthi movement as responsible for the attack. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, called the attack a "war crime" and promised a "forceful" response. The coalition also claims that the Houthi movement fired a missile at a military airfield in the capital region; however, the missile was reportedly shot down by air defenses.
Multiple attacks this week
King Khalid Airport has been subjected to repeated attacks this week. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the earlier strikes but have not yet commented on Saturday's events.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on Sunday that he was "deeply shocked" by the attack, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned of a "dangerous escalation" in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump described Saturday's events as "unacceptable" and said he would speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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