At least 12 people, including a Sudanese national, were killed and 309 others injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, authorities announced early Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed that Saturday afternoon’s strike left four Saudi citizens dead, alongside two Bangladeshis and one national each from Sudan, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Palestine.
The authority said 309 people were receiving treatment at hospitals across the capital, with several patients in critical condition.
The attack also caused significant damage to airport facilities, although officials have yet to release a full assessment of the destruction.
Airport operations were temporarily suspended as emergency teams assessed structural damage and inspected facilities to determine when flights could safely resume.
The strike marked the third attack on Riyadh’s main international airport within a week, amid an escalating military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Earlier attacks killed four people and damaged a Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft, according to Reuters.
The Saudi-led military coalition blamed the Houthis for Saturday’s strike and pledged to respond, while the group’s media office said its forces had effectively shut down the airport.
The latest assault triggered widespread flight cancellations and diversions, disrupting international travel through one of the kingdom’s busiest aviation hubs.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry urged citizens stranded abroad or affected by cancelled flights to contact Saudi diplomatic missions for assistance.
The escalation comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pursue a renewed military offensive against the Houthis, intensifying fighting around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait.
US President Donald Trump also indicated that Washington was considering whether to participate in Saudi military operations against the Houthis following the airport attack.
Saudi authorities said further updates would be issued once the damage assessment and safety inspections were completed.
