Houthi attack on Riyadh airport, at least 12 dead and 309 injured

A missile launched by Yemeni rebels hit Terminal 3 of King Khalid International Airport. Ambulances rushed to the scene and dozens of people were transported to hospital. The Farnesina: "Stay away from the area". Trump: "We could join Saudi Arabia in the response"

It is the worst attack suffered by Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, the one carried out on Saturday 10 October by the Houthis against Riyadh airport. According to what was revealed by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, at least 12 people were killed and 309 injured. The loud bang due to the explosion of a missile launched by Yemeni rebels linked to Tehran triggered panic in the afternoon, leading to the evacuation of the airport and announcements from Western countries such as Germany, Spain, Canada and Italy itself, which invited their citizens to keep their distance from King Khalid international airport.

Terminal 3 hit

According to reports from Saudi officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Terminal 3 of the airport was hit, which has already been the subject of attacks by the Houthis for weeks. US President Donald Trump has defined American intervention alongside its Saudi ally as possible. Local authorities confirmed the attack after hours of silence, speaking "of a certain number of injured" and announcing the temporary suspension of operations at the airport pending assessment of the damage and verification of the safety of the structures. In the meantime, flight cancellations and delays had already occurred, causing great panic on the part of the people present on site.

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Injured people taken to hospital

Several ambulances and some helicopters went to the scene to transport the injured to the King Fahad hospital in Riyadh, said one of the officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal, who confirmed the authenticity of a video where blood could be seen on the airport floor. "I was at gate 403" of the domestic flight terminal, the witness told AFP. "I saw gate 401 hit and people injured before my eyes. Everyone was running."

Travel to Saudi Arabia at risk

After the attack, several Western embassies "indicated that they have decided to ban their staff from traveling to or from Riyadh airport over the next week, as a precautionary measure," a senior diplomat told AFP. The wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia appears increasingly intense and a few hours later another projectile fell near another airport in the country, Dammam. But already on Thursday the same airport had been hit by attacks claimed by Yemeni rebels who are challenging government forces in the disputed areas around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, crucial for global trade. In Saudi Arabia there is also high concern about the effect that these attacks may have on tourism and business travel during the busy conference and travel season, recalls the Wall Street Journal.