A new strike on Riyadh’s international airport has left one person dead and 11 others injured, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority reported, underscoring the mounting pressure on the kingdom’s defences as regional tensions spill into civilian travel hubs.
“The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) clarifies that the attack resulted in the fatality of a Pakistani resident and injuries to 11 others,” the authority said on X.
The update came a day after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said they were behind a Saturday attack on the airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Saudi-led coalition forces operating in Yemen said an unidentified projectile hit Terminal 4 at Riyadh’s international airport yesterday, sparking a fire.
GACA said teams were continuing to evaluate the extent of the damage.
Watch: Damage seen in aftermath of attack on Riyadh airport
Coalition forces also reported that Saudi air defences intercepted a cruise missile near King Khalid International Airport.
They later said a drone had also been intercepted and destroyed in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
The latest incidents have highlighted weaknesses in Saudi defence capabilities even as the kingdom continues an air campaign against the Houthis, who are simultaneously fighting a ground war in Yemen against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Video aired by Saudi state television from Saturday’s strike at Riyadh airport showed large numbers of religious pilgrims queued at a gate, preparing for trips to Islam’s two holiest sites.
A bright orange flash then lit up the scene, sending people running, as parts of the roof appeared to buckle.
Authorities closed the airport in the wake of the attack.
Houthis claim responsibility for other attacks
In a televised address yesterday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike. He also said the group had targeted the airport in Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco.
The Saudi government’s media office and Aramco did not respond to requests for comment.
Late yesterday, GACA confirmed a strike on Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport and said “damage assessments and safety inspections of airport facilities are under way.”
An eyewitness on a taxiing aircraft in Dammam said that at about 8.30pm local time (6.30pm Irish time) yesterday they saw a projectile hit the tarmac beside several parked aircraft, triggering a fire.
The eyewitness said the aircraft returned to the gate, passengers got off, and they were instructed to leave.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 recorded multiple delays and cancellations yesterday for both arriving and departing flights at Dammam airport, the kingdom’s third-largest.
The King Khalid International Airport was closed after the attack [file image]
Earlier, the Houthis renewed warnings against the use of Saudi airports.
“We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions,” the group said.
Britain’s embassy in Saudi Arabia wrote on X that British nationals should avoid all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and all airports in the kingdom except the airport in Medina.
US aviation authorities also issued a notice advising US airlines to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia.
‘Worse is yet to come,’ Houthis warn
Saudi Arabia has recently intensified its role in Yemen, launching strikes against the Houthis and supporting a government counter-offensive after the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
Yesterday, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had carried out 124 air strikes in Yemen over the past 24 hours.
“Unless the Saudi enemy stops its aggression and interference in Yemen, worse is yet to come, God willing,” Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry said in statements broadcast by Al Masirah television.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, a spillover from the wider war with Iran that the US and Israel launched in February.
In a Telegram post, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he told his Saudi counterpart that Iran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Energy conference still going ahead
Despite the security concerns, a five-day WPC Energy conference opened as scheduled yesterday at a convention centre about 10km from the Riyadh airport, the Saudi energy ministry said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen
The ministry also said a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum took place, according to a media advisory, though it was unclear which ministers attended.
Italy’s energy minister, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, whose country was co-hosting, said on Friday he would join remotely via video link.
German officials were working to arrange a return flight for economy minister Katherina Reiche.
Reiche was due to fly back to Berlin from Riyadh today, but her ministry said it now appeared likely her aircraft would not be able to depart.
Separately, Saudi authorities said schools in Riyadh would move from in-person teaching to remote learning from yesterday until Thursday.
Saudi authorities said those killed in Saturday’s attack — the third strike on Riyadh’s airport in a week — included four Saudis, with the remaining victims foreign nationals.
India’s embassy in Riyadh said yesterday that an injured Indian citizen had died, raising the initial death toll from 12 to 13.
Two earlier attacks on the airport earlier in the week killed four people.
One of those attacks also caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac.
