Middle East: Twelve dead in attack: Houthis attack airport in Saudi capital Riyadh
Quick Look
- At least 12 people were killed and over 300 injured in a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport.
- The US condemns the attack and is examining involvement in Saudi countermeasures.
- The airport was temporarily closed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The conflict between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia is escalating after a ceasefire agreement concluded in 2022 was broken. The Houthis captured the Bab al-Mandab Strait, after which Saudi Arabia supported an offensive.
The conflict between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia is escalating. At least twelve people were killed in an attack on the airport. The USA is considering intervention.
People gather at a metro station in the Saudi capital after the rocket attack on Riyadh airport. Photo: AP Photo/
Riyadh. At least twelve people were killed and more than 300 injured in an attack on the international airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday evening. Saudi authorities attributed the attack to Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
It was the third and most serious attack on the airport so far this week. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said the dead included four Saudis and citizens from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh.
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The airport in the city of eight million inhabitants was temporarily closed and all flights were diverted. The head of the Houthi media office said after the attack on Platform X that the group had "shut down" Riyadh's international airport. A Saudi-led military coalition vowed to retaliate.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that the United States strongly condemned the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An American citizen was also killed in the attacks.
"These reprehensible attacks show a blatant disregard for the lives of innocent civilians. They must stop immediately," Rubio wrote on Platform X.
US President Donald Trump said the US would investigate involvement in Saudi attacks on the Houthis. “We’ll look at it,” he said outside the White House. “We act very quickly.”
An eyewitness at the airport reported an explosion and several injured people lying on the ground. An injured traveler told Reuters he saw a flying object in the sky before part of the ceiling collapsed near a departure gate. The US Embassy in Riyadh strongly advised all US citizens to avoid the airport and the surrounding area.
Related topics
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A week ago: Black smoke rises after an attack on an oil production facility in the south of Riyadh. Photo: STR/AP/dpa
The attack is an escalation in the conflict that flared up again in the summer. A ceasefire concluded in 2022 had broken down. The Houthis then captured the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea from government troops supported by Saudi Arabia.
In response, Yemen's Saudi-backed government began an offensive this week to retake the area. Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemen war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition to drive the Houthis out of the capital Sanaa.
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The US will examine involvement in Saudi attacks on the Houthis.
Likely · Within days
Saudi Arabia will announce and carry out retaliation for the attack.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will the US actually participate in Saudi countermeasures?
- How will the international community respond to the attack?
- Are there further Houthi plans to attack civilian infrastructure?
