Riyadh: At least 12 people were killed and 309 others injured in an attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Saturday afternoon, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation. The incident came amid escalating strikes between Yemen’s Houthi group and Saudi Arabia, with major airports and other strategic locations reportedly coming under attack.
In a statement issued early Sunday, the Saudi aviation authority said the fatalities included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign residents. The foreign nationals comprised two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, according to a report by Xinhua news agency.
The injured have been admitted to several hospitals, with some reported to be in serious condition, the authority said.
Riyadh Airport Operations Suspended After Attack
Following the attack, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the temporary suspension of operations at the airport while officials assessed the damage and carried out safety checks.
The attack has added to concerns over the widening military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group in Yemen, with both sides reporting strikes against strategic locations.
In a statement following Saturday’s incident, the Houthis said they were prepared to take reciprocal measures against Saudi Arabia. The group also called for airports, seaports and other facilities serving humanitarian functions to be kept outside the escalating military confrontation.
Saudi Strikes Target Sanaa Airport and Other Areas in Yemen
Meanwhile, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi Arabia launched a fresh wave of air and missile strikes across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday.
According to the report, the strikes targeted Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held capital, areas near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait and several northern provinces.
Separately, Yemen’s government forces said more than 1,150 Houthi fighters had been “neutralized” and over 180 military and logistical vehicles had been destroyed or damaged in more than 1,900 strikes across multiple fronts over the preceding 24 hours.
These figures could not be independently verified.
Fighting Intensifies Around Strategic City of Taiz
The conflict has also intensified around Taiz in southwestern Yemen, where Houthi advances have increased pressure on government forces defending the city.
Yemeni government military sources told Xinhua that the advances had disrupted key roads linking Taiz with government-controlled areas in southern Yemen. Fierce clashes were reported south of the city.
Backed by Saudi airstrikes, Yemen’s government launched a large-scale offensive on Monday to regain territory held by the Houthis. Some of the fiercest fighting has been concentrated around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, an important maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen Conflict Escalates After Years of Fighting
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country’s north.
In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is now based in the southern port city of Aden.
The latest fighting marks a significant escalation following a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022, which largely brought major hostilities to a halt.
The reported attack on Riyadh airport and the subsequent exchange of strikes underline the growing risks to civilian infrastructure and transport facilities as the conflict intensifies across the region.