A fresh attack on Riyadh’s international airport killed one person and wounded 11 others, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said, underscoring the growing risks to civilian infrastructure as the kingdom’s conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels intensifies.
“The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) clarifies that the attack resulted in the fatality of a Pakistani resident and injuries to 11 others,” the authority said on X.
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Yesterday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for a Saturday strike on the airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others.
Saudi-led coalition forces operating in Yemen said an unidentified projectile had struck near Terminal 4 at Riyadh’s international airport yesterday, triggering a fire.
Watch: Damage seen in aftermath of attack on Riyadh airport
The coalition said Saudi air defences had also intercepted a cruise missile near King Khalid International Airport.
It later reported that a drone had been intercepted and destroyed in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The attacks have highlighted potential gaps in Saudi air defences as the kingdom continues its air campaign against the Houthis, who are waging a ground offensive in Yemen against the Saudi-backed government.
Saudi state television footage of Saturday’s attack at Riyadh airport showed large numbers of religious pilgrims waiting at a gate before setting off for Islam’s two holiest sites.
A sudden orange flash sent people fleeing in fear, while sections of the terminal roof appeared to collapse.
The airport was shut following the strike.
Houthis claim responsibility for other attacks
In a televised address yesterday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack. He also claimed strikes on Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and two sites belonging to oil producer Saudi Aramco.
The Saudi government’s media office and Aramco did not respond to requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed late yesterday that Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport had been hit, saying that “damage assessments and safety inspections of airport facilities are under way.”
An eyewitness travelling on a taxiing aircraft at Dammam said that at about 8.30pm local time (6.30pm Irish time) yesterday, a projectile hit the tarmac near several parked planes and started a fire.
The witness said the aircraft returned to its gate, where passengers disembarked and were instructed to leave.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 recorded multiple delays and cancellations yesterday involving arrivals and departures at Dammam airport, the kingdom’s third-largest.
The King Khalid International Airport was closed after the attack [file image]
The Houthis had earlier renewed their warning against flying through Saudi airports.
“We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions,” the group said.
In a post on X, Britain’s embassy in Saudi Arabia advised British citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and every airport in the kingdom except the airport in Medina.
US aviation authorities separately warned American airlines to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia.
‘Worse is yet to come,’ Houthis warn
Saudi Arabia has intensified its military role in Yemen in recent weeks, carrying out strikes on the Houthis and supporting a government counteroffensive after the rebels seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
The Houthis said yesterday that Saudi Arabia had conducted 124 air strikes in Yemen during the previous 24 hours.
“Unless the Saudi enemy stops its aggression and interference in Yemen, worse is yet to come, God willing,” Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry said in statements broadcast by Al Masirah television.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis, in a conflict that has spilled over from the wider war between Iran, the US and Israel that began in February.
In a Telegram post, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he had told his Saudi counterpart that Tehran was prepared to help open dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Energy conference still going ahead
A five-day conference hosted by international energy organisation WPC Energy began as scheduled yesterday at a convention centre roughly 10km from Riyadh airport, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen
A ministerial gathering of the International Energy Forum also proceeded, according to a media advisory issued by the ministry, although it was not immediately clear which ministers were present.
Italy’s energy minister, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, whose country was co-hosting the event, said on Friday that he would take part remotely by video link.
German officials were working to arrange a flight home for economy minister Katherina Reiche.
She had been due to return to Berlin from Riyadh today, but the ministry said her flight appeared unlikely to depart.
Separately, Saudi authorities said schools in Riyadh would move from classroom teaching to remote learning from yesterday through Thursday.
Saturday’s strike was the third attack on Riyadh’s airport in one week. Saudi authorities said four Saudis were among those killed, with the remaining victims being foreign nationals.
India’s embassy in Riyadh said yesterday that one of its citizens injured in the attack had died, raising the initial death toll from 12.
Four people were killed in the two earlier attacks on the airport during the week.
One of those strikes also heavily damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac.
