CAIRO (AP) — A missile struck a passenger terminal at Riyadh International Airport on Sunday, a day after a missile struck the same terminal and killed 12 people, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for these and other attacks.
The Saudi authorities said that there were casualties in the recent attack on the King Khalid International Airport complex in Terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights. The missile attack that occurred on Saturday was the deadliest in a Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iranian war, as another 300 people were injured, some of them in serious condition. The airport was still closed on Sunday.
The sharp escalation on the new front in the war threatens to attract greater US military intervention, with President Donald Trump saying he is considering joining the fight against the Houthis. There was no immediate comment from the White House on Sunday.
The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said that one of its citizens died on Sunday from injuries sustained in Saturday’s attack, bringing the death toll to 13. Saudi authorities later said that King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was also attacked, without providing details. The city is located on the Persian Gulf near Bahrain and Qatar.
The latest strike in Riyadh came shortly after the Houthis announced that the airport in the rebel-controlled Yemeni capital, Sanaa, had been bombed again, blaming the Saudis.
Once again, at stake in this escalation are global supplies and oil prices as well as commercial shipping through a crucial alternative waterway to the Strait of Hormuz that Iran threatens — along with civilians and aviation throughout the region.
Trump said he intends to speak with the Saudi Crown Prince
Trump also said on Saturday that he intends to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking assistance.
US intervention could prompt the Houthis to halt shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea off Yemen and further restrict the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The rebels seized key areas along the strait last month and the Saudi-led coalition is trying to seize them.
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Regional officials told The Associated Press last month that Saudi Arabia was short on interceptor missiles, and had asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support in the region, with one noting that the United States had seen its stockpile dwindle during the war with Iran.
Sunday’s attack occurred as the Saudis were hosting a major international energy conference in Riyadh, with other high-profile events including an investment gathering on the horizon. Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia sought to open up more to the world as a commercial and tourist destination, but Houthi attacks threaten those efforts.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud told the conference: “It is impossible for anyone to break our backs. We are like the phoenix, rising from the ashes all the time.”
He added that the Kingdom is also working on building pipelines in addition to the East-West pipeline, which was attacked and closed for several days last month, without details.
The Houthis targeted Saudi air, military and oil facilities
Earlier on Sunday, the Houthi-run Ministry of Health announced that a child was killed and six others were injured in a suspected Saudi air strike on a house in Sanaa. The ministry also said that 91 Yemenis were killed by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks, 60% of whom were women and children.
There was no immediate comment from the Saudi authorities on these allegations.
On Sunday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Dammam airport, as well as attacks on oil and gas facilities in the east of the kingdom. They have targeted Riyadh airport, which has no military facilities, every day since Wednesday.
The rebels once again warned “all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travelers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theater of operations for our forces.” Many international airlines suspended their flights for varying periods.
Among those killed in the airport attack were several nationalities
The Saudi authorities said that those killed in Saturday’s attack were four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi citizens, a Palestinian, an American citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, and a Sudanese.
The Egyptian woman was a flight attendant for the Saudi Arabian Airlines Flynas and her name is Azza Ramzy, according to Egyptian state television.
The Syrian woman was a widowed mother living in Saudi Arabia, a relative, Nisreen Awaida, told the Associated Press. The Syrian embassy identified her as Buthaina Ahmed Aweida.
Iran could use the Houthis to pressure a key US ally
Until recently, the Houthis were largely on the sidelines of the Iran war, but they have developed their military capabilities in recent years to become one of Tehran’s strongest allies. Now, they are helping Iran put pressure on a key US ally.
The Saudis and Houthis began fighting in 2015, when the kingdom entered the civil war in Yemen on behalf of the internationally recognized government. The relative calm after the 2022 ceasefire ended in July when the Houthis resumed their attacks, saying the Saudis had fired on Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was trying to land.
The attack stoked anger at the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-controlled areas. The rebels say they have now imposed a blockade on Saudi Arabia.
The fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support to Yemeni government forces trying to push back recent Houthi gains near Bab al-Mandab, a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has attacked ships.
Ahmed Naji, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Houthi pressure tactics could backfire:
“Rather than prompting Riyadh to back down, attacks on critical Saudi infrastructure could make the Saudis more determined to continue the campaign.”
