A missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others, with some in a critical condition, civil aviation authorities said. The attack on Saturday was the deadliest in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war.
Deadliest attack since Iran war began
The statement, which did not assign blame for the attack, said the dead included four Saudi citizens as well as two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a US citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese. The injured are being treated at several hospitals.
The attack, the latest of several in the past week on the airport, is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies, including the United States, to provide military support for the kingdom.
Trump weighs US response
Shortly after the attack on Saturday afternoon, US President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether America should join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. Asked about intervention, he said: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. So we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."
The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot. On Saturday, a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said. There was no immediate statement from the rebels, who earlier on Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.
Airport operations suspended
Saudi civil aviation authorities earlier said airport operations were suspended and the extent of injuries and damage was being assessed. An official notice to aviators said the suspension was through midnight. The airport had a heavy police presence, with all entrances blocked, and lights around the complex were dimmed. Flights were diverted elsewhere, the Flightradar24 tracker said. Countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.
The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region. Yet the Saudi energy ministry hours after the latest one was still promoting a major international energy conference set to begin in Riyadh on Sunday.
Regional tensions escalate
Fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea. Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.
Though the Houthis have told the AP and others they are only targeting Saudi shipping as part of a blockade in retaliation for one imposed on them, concerns about wider attacks persist. The Houthis previously attacked other ships after the war in Gaza began, calling it in solidarity with Palestinians. A US bombing campaign sharply limited that.
Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defence support to the region, regional officials told the AP last month, with one noting that the US has seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran. Officials have said US assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of "supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions" in the region. Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has played a mediator role at times in the region. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities warned the public this week that "filming, publishing or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability".
