Houthi Missile Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills 12, Injures 309

Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was struck again Saturday evening by a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels, just two days after a previous deadly attack. Saudi civil aviation authorities reported at least 12 people were killed and 309 injured. The victims included nationals from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia, according to the Israeli site Ynet. A regional official cited by the Associated Press stated the missile hit the area housing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. Witnesses described an explosion and injuries near the boarding gates. The airport was evacuated, flights were suspended, arrivals were rerouted, and departures were delayed or canceled. Several embassies advised their citizens to avoid the area. Saudi authorities deployed a significant security presence and warned against the dissemination of images from the attack, with no airport videos released thus far. A senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Boukhaiti, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a response to Saudi strikes in Yemen that he alleged target civilian infrastructure. He asserted that civilian facilities in Yemen should receive the same protection as those elsewhere, citing airports, ports, hospitals, markets, and sites of weddings and funerals. On Thursday, an attack on the same airport killed three Saudis, including an airline pilot, and damaged a Saudia national airline aircraft. Saturday evening, the Saudi-led coalition also reported a projectile falling near King Fahd Airport in Dammam, which has become an important alternative to Riyadh since attacks on the capital increased. For several weeks, Houthis have been regularly striking Saudi airports, oil facilities, and other infrastructure, warning international airlines against flying over the kingdom, large parts of which they have declared a "military operations zone." These attacks directly threaten Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambition to make Riyadh a major international business and tourism hub, especially with several major international events scheduled there soon. When asked Saturday outside the White House about potential US participation in the Saudi military campaign against the Houthis, Donald Trump did not rule out the option, stating, "It's possible. We're going to be looking at it. We're acting very quickly," though he added no decision had been made. Saudi aviation conducts strikes against Houthi positions in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which launched a broad counter-offensive called "Yemen Dawn." The Houthis claim the country has suffered hundreds of Saudi strikes in recent weeks, allegedly killing children and other civilians.