Deadly Houthi Missile Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills 12 and Injures Hundreds

At least 12 people were killed and hundreds were wounded when Yemen’s Houthi militants struck Riyadh’s international airport with a missile on Saturday, marking Saudi Arabia’s deadliest attack in more than a decade. The strike on King Khalid International Airport was the third missile attack of the week, leading to the indefinite closure of the facility until at least late Sunday and the cancellation of more than 600 flights.

According to the kingdom’s civil aviation body, the missile hit a terminal building, claiming the lives of four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian, and a Sudanese national. An additional 309 people sustained injuries in the blast.

US President Donald Trump stated he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis in Yemen following the incident, having previously resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention. When asked outside the White House whether Washington planned to intervene, Trump told reporters, "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." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that a US citizen was among the fatalities and strongly condemned the violence.

Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as the roof near a departure gate collapsed and debris littered the dust-filled hall. Nasr al-Din Amer, a senior Houthi official, acknowledged responsibility for the attack on X, writing, "We shut down Riyadh international airport." A subsequent Houthi military statement warned all airlines and travelers to avoid Saudi airports and airspace, except for Mecca and Medina airports, and stated that Saudi Arabia would bear responsibility for interception attempts.

The international community swiftly condemned the attack. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg labeled the assault "a grave escalation," while United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law.

The escalation comes amid a renewed civil war in Yemen that intensified significantly last month. The conflict threatens Saudi Arabia's regional security and its broader economic ambitions, as the nation continues to navigate the fallout from the ongoing border tensions and military campaigns.