12 Killed, 309 Injured in Riyadh Airport Attack as Saudi Arabia and Houthis Exchange Strikes

An attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Saturday afternoon killed 12 people and injured 309 others, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, as Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi group continued exchanging strikes on major airports.

In a statement issued early Sunday, the Saudi aviation authority said the fatalities included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign residents — two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.

The injured are receiving treatment at several hospitals, with some reported to be in serious condition, the authority said.

Airport operations had been temporarily suspended pending damage assessments and safety checks, according to an earlier statement by the authority.

Following Saturday’s attack, the Houthi group said it was prepared to take reciprocal measures with Saudi Arabia to ensure that airports, seaports and other facilities serving humanitarian functions remained outside the escalating military confrontation.

Meanwhile, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had launched a fresh wave of air and missile strikes across Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The reported targets included Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held capital, areas near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait and several northern provinces.

Also on Saturday, Yemen’s government forces claimed that more than 1,150 Houthi fighters had been “neutralised” in over 1,900 strikes across multiple fronts during the preceding 24 hours. The forces also claimed that more than 180 military and logistical vehicles had been destroyed or damaged. These figures could not be independently verified.

The fighting has also intensified around Taiz in southwestern Yemen, where Houthi advances have increased pressure on government forces defending the city and disrupted key roads connecting it with government-held areas in southern Yemen.

Government military sources told Xinhua that fierce clashes were underway south of the city.

Backed by Saudi airstrikes, Yemen’s government launched a large-scale offensive on Monday to retake territory held by the Houthis. Some of the fiercest fighting has been concentrated around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is now based in the southern port city of Aden.

The renewed fighting marks a major escalation after a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities.