Saudi Arabia: 12 killed, hundreds injured in Riyadh airport attack

At least 12 people were killed and hundreds were injured in an attack on Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

"King Khalid International Airport was targeted by an attack, amid continued attacks targeting civilian aviation facilities in the kingdom," the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said in an initial statement.

Hours later, the authority announced that 12 people had been killed, including four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese national.

At least 309 others were injured in the attack, the aviation authority said, adding that "all injured individuals are receiving the necessary medical care at several hospitals."

Operations at the airport had been suspended until further notice.

Hours later, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen announced that "a projectile" had also landed near King Fahd International Airport in the eastern city of Dammam.

What do we know about the Riyadh attack?

A Saudi official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that many people were wounded after a missile hit a passenger terminal.

The AFP news news agency also reported that a number of people were injured, citing a local medical source who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"ER doctors are being called to hospitals across Riyadh," the source told AFP. "We were told we are dealing with a 'serious emergency situation'. Injured are being moved to hospitals across Riyadh."

Several Western embassies in Riyadh, including those of Germany, the United States, Canada and Spain, urged citizens to avoid the airport.

The US embassy said it was "aware of attacks" at the airport. Spain's embassy referred to a "new attack" by the Houthi rebels in Yemen while Canada's embassy warned of "ongoing military activity."

What did the Houthis say?

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.

However, after the attack, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree retweeted his own post from a day earlier in which he said that only pre-approved humanitarian flights would be allowed to land at Riyadh airport.

In the retweet on Saturday night, Saree wrote: "A reminder."

When asked about the attack, US President Donald Trump said the US would soon decide whether to join Saudi strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

"We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We move very quickly."

Strikes hit Riyadh airport earlier this week

Fighting has intensified between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been launching strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia, including several this week on the airport in Riyadh that killed four people, injured several others, and damaged planes.

Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways canceled multiple flights between their ​respective hubs and Riyadh, with some cancellations extending into Monday. Kuwait Airways also cancelled its flights on Saturday.

Last month, Houthi rebels made advances on important strategic locations along Yemen's Red Sea coast, with a Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces seeking to take back those gains.

The Houthis have responded by launching attacks into Saudi Arabia, which represents a significant escalation in their multi-year conflict with Yemen's Riyadh-backed government after a peace deal unraveled in July.

The Saudi-backed government in Yemen last week announced a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis, especially those around the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru