Houthi strike on Riyadh airport kills 12, wounds more than 300
A Saturday afternoon missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and wounded 309, Saudi authorities said. The Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthis and vowed a decisive response as airport operations stayed shut into Sunday.
What happened: A missile attack hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon, killing 12 people and wounding 309, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said, according to France 24, Al Monitor, and AP reporting via KSAT. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan, the same outlets reported.
Who is blamed: The Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthis and called the strike a “full-fledged war crime,” vowing a decisive response, France 24 and Al Monitor reported. The Houthis had claimed earlier strikes this week; at the time of those reports, Al Monitor and France 24 noted the group had not claimed the Saturday airport attack.
Airport and schools: Airport operations were suspended after the strike, and Saudi Arabia extended the closure into Sunday, Flightradar24 and AP reported via KSAT. Schools in Riyadh switched to remote learning for the week, France 24 said.
U.S. and international reaction: President Donald Trump said the United States “may” join Saudi strikes on the Houthis and planned to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the same outlets reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a U.S. citizen was among the dead and condemned the attack. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the strike, France 24 reported.
Scale: France 24 described it as the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in about a decade, since roughly the 2015 Qatif mosque bombing. AP called it the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the Iran war began.