Saudi Arabia says 12 killed, 300 wounded in Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

Operations at King Khalid International airport suspended as authorities say victims include four Saudis and eight foreigners.

Twelve killed, more than 300 injured in Riyadh airport attack

Saudi Arabia has said at least 12 people were killed, and more than 300 were wounded in an attack by Yemen’s Houthis on the King Khalid International airport near its capital, Riyadh.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the attack on Saturday killed at least four Saudi citizens and two Bangladeshis.

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The dead also included one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.

At the latest count, at least 309 people were wounded, it said.

GACA added that some of the wounded were in critical condition and that all were receiving medical care in hospital.

The attack – which also caused property damage – marked the third assault by the Houthis on the international airport this week. Houthi attacks on King Khalid airport on Thursday killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, according to GACA.

Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended, with GACA saying officials were assessing the damage.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen called the attack a “full-fledged war crime”. Spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Malki said the coalition would “respond decisively to this terrorist attack in accordance with the Customary International Humanitarian Law”.

Al-Malki also confirmed a separate incident, saying in a post on X that “a projectile fell in the vicinity of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam”.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, said the Houthis had signalled that King Khalid International and other airports in Saudi Arabia would be among their main targets.

The attacks come as fighting intensified in Yemen, with forces loyal to the country’s internationally recognised government fighting the Iran-backed Houthis for control of the country.

Saudi Arabia has waged an air campaign in support of the Yemeni government’s ground war and claimed hundreds of strikes on Houthi-held territory, including the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The head of the Houthi media office said in a post on X after Saturday’s attack that the group had “shut down Riyadh international airport”.

The Houthis have said airliners should avoid Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations after the Yemeni government launched an offensive against the group on Monday.

It said any aircraft operating there – except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina – is a target.

‘Direct threat’ to regional security

Qatar condemned the attack , saying in a statement that Doha considered it “a direct threat to the security of the region”. Egypt, Jordan and Oman also expressed sympathy and solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

US President Donald Trump described the attack as “terrible” and said he was evaluating whether the US should join the war against the Houthis.

Separately, foreign embassies in Riyadh, including those of the US, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, issued advisories on social media to their citizens in Saudi Arabia.

The US Mission said it was “aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh” and “strongly recommends” all US citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas.

The UK and Irish embassies advised their nationals about “a serious incident” at the airport. Canada’s embassy advised citizens in Riyadh to avoid all travel to the airport, noting “ongoing military activity”.

Nawaf Obaid, a senior research fellow at King’s College London, said the Houthi strike on a civilian target in Saudi Arabia was an anticipated response.

“It’s a matter of expectation, considering what the Houthis are experiencing through the Saudi air strikes over the last 10 days, two weeks. It was expected that this is – in a way – the only way to retaliate,” he told Al Jazeera.

He condemned the attack on a “clearly civilian target”, saying the initial assessment appears to be that the Houthis used a ballistic missile in the attack. “That just gives you the nature of who and what Saudi Arabia and its allies are dealing with today,” he added.

Saturday’s attack came after the Houthis claimed to have launched a ballistic missile towards the airport in Riyadh on Thursday, saying it successfully hit its intended target, causing damage and disrupting air traffic.

Days earlier, Saudi Arabia said Houthi attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports had killed three civilians and injured 36 others.

沙特阿拉伯哈立德国王国际机场暂停运营，当局称遇难者包括四名沙特人和八名外国人。

利雅得机场袭击事件致12人死亡，300多人受伤

沙特阿拉伯表示，也门胡塞武装袭击了位于其首都利雅得附近的哈立德国王国际机场，造成至少 12 人死亡，300 多人受伤。

沙特民航总局（GACA）表示，周六发生的袭击事件造成至少四名沙特公民和两名孟加拉国人死亡。

列表 1/3：沙特领导的联军称正在也门开展军事行动

列表 2（共 3 个）：也门是否已重回“全面战争”？

联合国特使警告称也门已重回“全面战争”状态，敦促各方对话（名单3/3）。

死者中还包括来自美国、约旦、巴勒斯坦、叙利亚、苏丹和埃及的各一人。

最新统计显示，至少有309人受伤。

GACA补充说，部分伤者情况危急，所有伤者都在医院接受治疗。

此次袭击还造成了财产损失，这是胡塞武装本周对国际机场的第三次袭击。据沙特民航总局（GACA）称，胡塞武装周四对哈立德国王国际机场的袭击造成至少三名沙特公民死亡，其中包括一名飞行员。

机场运营暂时中止，沙特民航总局表示，官员们正在评估损失。

在也门作战的沙特领导的联军称此次袭击是“彻头彻尾的战争罪行”。发言人图尔基·马尔基少将表示，联军将“根据习惯国际人道主义法，对此次恐怖袭击做出果断回应”。

阿尔-马尔基还证实了另一起事件，他在 X 上发帖称“一枚炮弹落在达曼法赫德国王国际机场附近”。

半岛电视台记者优素福·马乌里从萨那报道称，胡塞武装已发出信号，沙特阿拉伯的哈立德国王国际机场和其他机场将是他们的主要目标之一。

袭击发生之际，也门战事愈演愈烈，效忠于也门国际公认政府的部队与伊朗支持的胡塞武装为争夺该国控制权而战。

沙特阿拉伯发动空袭行动，支持也门政府的地面战争，并声称对胡塞武装控制的地区（包括也门首都萨那）发动了数百次空袭。

胡塞武装媒体办公室负责人周六袭击事件后在 X 上发帖称，该组织“关闭了利雅得国际机场”。

胡塞武装表示，航空公司应避开沙特阿拉伯领空，并宣布该领空为军事行动区。此前，也门政府于周一对该组织发动了攻势。

声明称，除在圣城麦加和麦地那上空飞行的飞机外，任何在该地区飞行的飞机都是攻击目标。

对区域安全的“直接威胁”

卡塔尔谴责了此次袭击，并在声明中表示，多哈认为这是“对地区安全的直接威胁”。埃及、约旦和阿曼也对沙特阿拉伯表示同情和声援。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普称这次袭击“非常可怕”，并表示他正在评估美国是否应该加入打击胡塞武装的战争。

此外，包括美国、英国、爱尔兰和加拿大在内的外国驻利雅得大使馆通过社交媒体向其在沙特阿拉伯的公民发布了旅行建议。

美国使团表示，他们“已获悉利雅得哈立德国王国际机场遭到袭击”，并“强烈建议”所有美国公民避开该机场及周边地区。

英国和爱尔兰大使馆就机场发生的“严重事件”向本国公民发出警告。加拿大大使馆建议在利雅得的公民避免前往机场，并指出“正在进行军事活动”。

伦敦国王学院高级研究员纳瓦夫·奥贝德表示，胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯平民目标的袭击是意料之中的回应。

“考虑到胡塞武装在过去十天到两周内遭受的沙特空袭，这是一种预期。在某种程度上，这被认为是唯一的报复方式，”他告诉半岛电视台。

他谴责了对“明显是平民目标”的袭击，并表示初步评估显示胡塞武装使用了弹道导弹。“这正体现了沙特阿拉伯及其盟友如今面对的敌人和局势的本质，”他补充道。

周六的袭击发生之前，胡塞武装声称周四向利雅得机场发射了一枚弹道导弹，并称导弹成功击中了预定目标，造成破坏并扰乱了空中交通。

几天前，沙特阿拉伯表示，胡塞武装袭击艾卜哈机场和哈立德国王机场，造成三名平民死亡，另有 36 人受伤。