Riyadh/Sanaa. According to official information, at least twelve people were killed and more than 300 others injured in the worst attack to date on the international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. It is the highest number of victims in an attack on the US-allied Gulf state since the start of the Iran war at the end of February. Riyadh blamed Yemen's Houthi militia, which threatened new attacks in the kingdom.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show scenes after the attack. Among other things, you can see a destroyed airport hall and how travelers rush through thick smoke to get to safety. The authenticity of the videos could not be verified. Dark clouds of smoke rose after an explosion at a terminal. Just on Thursday, three people were killed in an attack on the airport.
The attack on one of the passenger terminals was an “outright war crime,” said the Riyadh-led military alliance fighting the Houthis in Yemen. The alliance will “respond decisively to this terrorist attack,” said alliance spokesman Turki al-Maliki. The Houthi militia did not immediately comment on the attack in Riyadh.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” and said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violated international law. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a “dangerous escalation” and warned: “The attacks by Iran’s proxies are driving the region into a spiral of violence.”
King Khalid Airport is one of the largest airports in the Gulf region in terms of passenger volume. Riyadh, along with Jeddah on the Red Sea, is the political and economic center of Saudi Arabia. Air traffic was initially suspended until Sunday evening at midnight (local time, 11 p.m. CEST). The US mission in the country called on compatriots to avoid the airport and surrounding areas.
The Houthis, who control large areas of northern Yemen, threatened new attacks. Saudi airports and Saudi airspace are “legitimate targets,” said Houthi military spokesman Jahja Sari - with the exception of the holy sites of Mecca and Medina for Muslims. People were urged to take these warnings seriously.
Saudi Arabia and its allies have been fighting the Shiite rebels, who are supported by Iran, in Yemen for more than ten years. This civil war, in which hundreds of thousands of deaths are expected as a result of the direct and indirect consequences of the war, flared up again in the wake of the Iran War. The USA - one of Saudi Arabia's most important allies - could also begin new military strikes in Yemen, as in 2024 and 2025.
US President Donald Trump said such steps were currently being considered. He stressed: "We have just learned about the latest attack, so we will make a decision. We are acting very quickly." Just a few weeks ago, according to US media reports, Trump decided against new air strikes in Yemen - despite requests from Saudi Arabia. The USA has troops stationed in the kingdom and is also the most important arms supplier.
With the Houthi attacks, the war will “soon become even bigger,” wrote political scientist Vali Nasr from Johns Hopkins University in the USA. “If there was no appetite for a long campaign against the Houthis before, this terrorist attack will change it,” wrote Gulf expert Aziz Alghashian of the Gulf International Forum think tank.
The nuclear power Pakistan also condemned the attack in Riyadh. "We will not tolerate any aggression. We hope that the matter will be resolved peacefully. Otherwise, Pakistan stands firmly with Saudi Arabia and will provide all possible support," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a defense pact in August. It contains a support clause similar to that in the NATO treaty, according to which an attack on one party is seen as an attack on all. So far, Pakistan has held back on military aid.
The Houthi militia recently increased its attacks on Saudi Arabia and also claimed responsibility for ballistic missile attacks on Riyadh airport and other facilities. According to Saudi information, another bullet was fired in the east of the country on Sunday.
The civil war in Yemen has escalated again since August. Saudi attacks have killed more than 90 people in Yemen and injured more than 160 others since the beginning of September, the Houthi-controlled health ministry said. The rebels took over additional areas in the southwest in a lightning offensive. The Saudi-backed government has launched a large-scale counteroffensive.
Attacks also continue to occur in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked with threats and attacks. The British Maritime Safety Authority (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile”. A fire broke out, but the crew was safe. The US military, for its part, said it attacked a civilian freighter for attempting to break through the naval blockade against Iran.
