Home · World · Oct 10 archive
Houthis Attack Riyadh Airport, Injure Several
Confirmed
In Short: Several people were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
On Saturday, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was hit by an attack that injured several people, according to the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and reports from BBC (United Kingdom) and Al Jazeera (Qatar). The airport suspended operations following the incident.
BBC (United Kingdom) and Al Jazeera (Qatar) both reported that the attack came a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for similar strikes on the same airport, which killed three Saudis including a pilot.
According to BBC (United Kingdom), the Houthis said they were retaliating against Saudi Arabia for its support of government forces in Yemen's civil war and for an air strike on Sanaa airport.
Both BBC (United Kingdom) and Al Jazeera (Qatar) noted that the attack disrupted air traffic and led to the cancellation of over 225 flights at the airport over the past 24 hours, as reported by flight-tracking site FlightAware.
Western embassies in Saudi Arabia have warned their citizens to avoid the airport, with the US embassy urging American citizens to stay away from the airport and surrounding areas.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia) reported that the airport urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia) also reported that the Saudi government-run Center for International Communication did not respond to a request for comment.
An eyewitness told BBC (United Kingdom) that they saw injured people at gate 401 in the domestic terminal and were told they were dealing with a 'serious emergency situation'.
Both BBC (United Kingdom) and Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that the airport was assessing damage to the facilities and ensuring their safety.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia) reported that the airport resumed operational processes and returned air traffic to normal, while ensuring the safety of passengers and workers.
The US updated its earlier warning, now specifying that all US government employees require special authorisation to use Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.
Both BBC (United Kingdom) and Al Jazeera (Qatar) reported that President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of the US joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis, but he said they would 'look at it' and 'move very quickly'.
What this adds
The attack on Saturday injured several people, with Condé Nast Traveller Middle East reporting that three people of Moroccan, Algerian, and Sudanese nationalities were killed in the earlier attacks on the airport.
What's confirmed
- Operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were suspended on Saturday after the attack, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
- The US embassy said it was "aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport" and urged American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas.
- Several Gulf airlines said they had cancelled their flights to and from the airport. with Kuwait Airways citing the "security situation" there.
- The airport did not specify the cause of the disruptions in its initial advisory.
- Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also instructed Saudi citizens travelling to the kingdom to contact local embassies if their travel itineraries have been disrupted following the attack.
- On Thursday, the Houthi military spokesperson said that the Yemeni armed group had launched a ballistic missile towards the airport in Riyadh, claiming that the missile successfully hit its intended target, causing damage and disrupting air traffic.
- But the Iran-backed group has warned aviation companies to avoid using Saudi airspace, saying any aircraft operating there – except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina – is a target.
- Following reports of the latest attack, President Donald Trump was asked by reporters outside the White House whether the United States planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.
- On Thursday, at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, were killed in Houthi attacks at the airport, according to GACA.
- Earlier on Saturday, King Khalid airport urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and check their flight status before heading to the airport amid reports of disruptions to air traffic.
- Those attacks were launched by Yemen’s Houthi group, which is at war with Riyadh and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden.
- “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,” he said.
What's still developing
- Yemeni pro-government forces have since said they had "secured" the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised government. A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. But the informal truce began to unravel in July. The Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.
- More than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport.
- Mr Abbas's decree cited "obstacles posed by Israeli measures" and the need to establish suitable political, security and on-the-ground conditions for "free, fair and inclusive elections", the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
- King Khalid International Airport has been targeted multiple times this week, since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
- On Friday as he left the White House, US President Donald Trump was asked about the attacks on the Riyadh airport and told reporters, "It's not good" and "I'm not happy".
- "The Authority affirms the ongoing work – in integration and continuous coordination with relevant security agencies – to assess damages and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers, and to maintain the security and safety of the civil aviation system in the Kingdom, noting the resumption of operational processes at the airport and the return of air traffic to normal,” it said.