Death toll in the Riyadh airport attack climbs to 12
The Riyadh airport attack has killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, Saudi officials said on Saturday, after a missile struck King Khalid International Airport. It was the deadliest single strike in a week of attacks on the Saudi capital.
The dead included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. The wounded ran into the hundreds, and a rare mass call-up of doctors was ordered to deal with what officials described as a serious emergency.
Airport operations were suspended after the strike. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed 155 arriving and 161 departing flights cancelled, with 222 more delayed. It is one of the largest disruptions to the kingdom’s busiest airport in recent years.
PIA suspends Riyadh flights after Houthi strikes, a development that underlines how quickly the attacks have spilled over into Pakistan’s own aviation links.
Coalition vows decisive response after Riyadh airport attack
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Malki blamed Yemen’s Houthis for the strike. He called it a “full-fledged war crime” and vowed a “decisive response”, according to AFP.
A Houthi media office claimed the strike had “shut down Riyadh international airport”, although the group stopped short of a direct claim of responsibility.
Saturday’s strike was the third attack on the airport this week. Thursday’s strikes killed three people, including a Saudia pilot, and damaged an aircraft on the ground, showing how the campaign has intensified within days.
Falling missile debris damaged a kindergarten and a clinic earlier in the week, bringing the danger of the strikes close to civilian life in the capital.
Trump says US may join Saudi strikes on Houthis
US President Donald Trump said the United States “may” join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. He told reporters he would speak to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and described the airport attack as “not acceptable”.
The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies advised their citizens to stay away from the airport area as the situation developed.
Makkah pact and regional reaction
The attack has renewed attention on the Saudi-Pakistan Makkah defence pact. Foreign Office officials have said the alliance framework is defensive in nature, a position outlined in the Makkah pact debate in Pakistan, while Khawaja Asif has said the pact does not bar direct involvement of members facing a threat.
Kuwait joined the regional chorus of condemnation, with officials in Kuwait City denouncing strikes on the holy cities and the kingdom’s civilian infrastructure.
What the Riyadh airport attack means next
The strikes mark a sharp escalation in the Houthis’ campaign against Saudi Arabia. For years the group has fired drones and missiles across the border, but a direct hit on the kingdom’s busiest airport with this level of casualties is a new threshold.
The coalition’s vow of a decisive response points to retaliatory strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen in the coming days. Pakistan, with its close ties to the kingdom and a sizeable expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, is watching the situation closely, as are airlines and travellers across the region.
How many people died in the Riyadh airport attack?
At least 12 people were killed and 309 wounded in the missile strike on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and six other foreign nationals.
Who did Saudi Arabia blame for the airport attack?
Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Malki blamed Yemen’s Houthis, calling the strike a “full-fledged war crime” and promising a decisive response. A Houthi media office said the strike had shut down the airport.
Is Riyadh airport still closed?
Airport operations were suspended after Saturday’s strike. Flightradar24 data showed 155 arrivals and 161 departures cancelled, with 222 flights delayed. PIA also suspended its Riyadh flights.
What did the US say about the Riyadh airport attack?
President Donald Trump said the United States “may” join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, called the attack “not acceptable” and said he would speak to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Several embassies warned citizens to avoid the airport area.
