Riyadh Airport Hit Again a Day After Deadly Houthi Strike as Conflict Threatens to Widen

Riyadh: A projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, starting a fire, killing one person and injuring 11, Saudi civil aviation authorities said, a day after a Houthi missile attack on the same airport killed 13 people. Air defences also intercepted a cruise missile near the site. Saudi authorities later confirmed that King Fahd International Airport in Dammam had also been attacked.

Saturday’s strike, which killed 12 people and injured more than 300 people, was the deadliest attack on a Gulf country since the US-Iran war began in March. Victims included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and nationals of Palestine, the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan. The Indian embassy said an Indian citizen wounded in the attack died on Sunday. Saudi Arabia extended the airport’s closure and moved schools online until Thursday, while Britain advised against nearly all travel to Jeddah and Dammam.

The Houthis warned airlines and passengers to avoid Saudi airports, saying worse was coming if Saudi military action continued. They claimed a Saudi airstrike on Sana’a killed a child. The Saudi-led coalition promised a firm response.

President Donald Trump said he was weighing whether to join the Saudi campaign. About 200 US advisers are already in the kingdom assisting with intelligence and targeting, and direct involvement could prompt renewed Houthi attacks on shipping through the Bab al-Mandab strait.

International condemnation followed, including from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey moved to speed deployment under their Mecca defence pact, the UK offered refuelling support, and Riyadh sought help from other states as interceptor stocks run low.