On Saturday (October 10), the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade killed 12 people and injured hundreds at Riyadh International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition vowed on Sunday to respond resolutely to Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The coalition blamed the attack on King Khalid International Airport on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, calling it an "outright war crime." A diplomatic source said the attack was caused by a missile.
The group has launched an unprecedented wave of attacks on the kingdom since the collapse of a ceasefire in the protracted war between the Houthis and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government in July. It is against this backdrop that this attack occurred.
The escalating violence has led to the possibility of an escalation of larger-scale conflicts. Trump signaled that Washington might join military action against the militants.
Victims from nine countries: When airport domestic terminal targeted
One passenger told AFP he witnessed the attack at the airport's domestic terminal. "I was at gate 403," the witness said. "I saw gate 401 being hit, I saw people injured. Everyone was running."
The Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that four Saudi citizens were among the victims, along with two Bangladeshis, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Sudanese. The statement said some of the 309 injured were seriously injured.
Airport operations have been suspended following the attack. Authorities said damage assessment was still ongoing.
A medical source said local health officials launched a rare mass call for doctors to deal with the "serious emergency." Two doctors told AFP that among the injured were several pilgrims heading to Mecca.
Schools in Riyadh switched to remote learning for the second time in a month. Emails seen by AFP showed parents in the capital were informed on Sunday that "all schools in Riyadh will switch to remote learning next week", citing an order from the Ministry of Education.
Deadliest attack in a decade: 'An outright war crime'
"This cowardly terrorist attack by the horrific Houthi militia killed and injured civilian passengers and airport staff and constitutes an outright war crime," coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said in a statement on X.
Previously, the coalition said it had intercepted missiles aimed at Saudi Arabia and destroyed the launch platform.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on the airport on Thursday. Those attacks killed three people and damaged an aircraft. However, they did not immediately take responsibility for any new attacks on Saturday.
Saturday's attack was the deadliest to hit the kingdom since May 2015. At that time, the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group launched a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in the eastern province of Qatif, killing 21 worshipers.
Yemen's civil war reignited in July after a four-year UN-brokered ceasefire collapsed. In the previous months, a larger-scale war in the Middle East had shaken the region and disrupted global energy supplies and market prices.
Trump relents: The United States may join the fight against the Houthis
Saudi Arabia, which leads an international coalition that has been militarily supporting the Yemeni government since 2015, is becoming increasingly embroiled in conflicts with its neighbors.
Asked on Saturday whether he had changed his mind and decided to join Saudi Arabia in its attack on the group, Trump said: "We might."
He said he would speak to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and called what was happening in the country "unacceptable." U.S. media reported that Saudi Arabia’s previous request for U.S. military assistance in response to the Houthi armed forces was rejected.
Many embassies warn: avoid airports under attack
The U.S., Canadian, German and Spanish embassies in Saudi Arabia have warned their citizens to avoid the airport. A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies were banning their staff from using the airport "for the next week."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "appalling attack" and reiterated Islamabad's commitment to Saudi security under the two countries' defense agreement.
The latest attack comes on the eve of the kingdom's high-profile convention and entertainment season, which begins this month. Riyadh typically hosts a dense events calendar, including its major investment conferences that attract foreign leaders and business titans.
Fighting in Bab el-Mandeb Strait escalates: Yemeni government forces launch offensive
In Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces are advancing toward areas seized by the Houthis last month around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, military sources told AFP.
The Yemeni government announced an offensive last month with the goal of retaking all areas controlled by the Houthis.
The Houthis confirmed that government forces had launched an offensive in the Bab el-Mandeb area, but claimed to have repelled them. The area is a key chokepoint for oil and cargo transportation in the Red Sea.
The accounts of the warring parties could not be independently verified. The local situation is changing rapidly, making it difficult for reporters to enter for interviews.
