RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Yemen's Houthi militants struck King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital on Saturday, with missiles landing direct hits on Terminals 3 and 4, according to Saudi officials and multiple news outlets. It was the third strike on the airport in a week.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said at least 12 people were killed: four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi residents, and one resident each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. At least 309 people were wounded, several critically, the authority said.
Airport operations were temporarily suspended and all flights diverted, GACA said, according to Reuters. Witnesses reported loud explosions and smoke rising from the airport area; one traveler told Reuters part of a departure-gate ceiling collapsed.
The head of the Houthi media office said the group had "shut down" the airport in a post on X, Reuters reported. The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki, called the attack a war crime by the Houthi militia and said coalition forces would respond, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The attack is the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, the Journal reported.
President Donald Trump condemned the strike Saturday, calling it "not acceptable," and said he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The U.S. mission in Saudi Arabia issued an advisory urging American citizens to stay away from the airport, and the State Department said the U.S. stands with Saudi Arabia.
The strikes come amid intensified fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government.
This is a developing story.
- National Correspondent Network
