Saudi leaders pledged a firm response after a deadly attack in Riyadh, while Houthi forces warned commercial airlines to avoid the kingdom’s airspace.
Saudi Arabia pledged on Sunday to retaliate firmly against Yemen’s Houthi rebels after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people, while the Iran-backed group warned commercial airlines that Saudi airspace remains an active target.
The weekend strike halted flights at the capital’s main airport, as a missile hit domestic terminals on Saturday and left more than 300 people injured. Earlier this month, Houthi forces attacked Saudi oil installations and pressed forward in Yemen.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki described the airport assault as a full-fledged war crime, Al Jazeera reported. The coalition blamed the Houthis for Saturday’s strike, which was the deadliest assault on the kingdom in more than a decade.
Warning to airlines and airport closures
King Khalid International Airport remained closed on Sunday, with flights cancelled or diverted to other hubs. Saudi authorities ordered schools across Riyadh to switch to remote learning for a full week following the strike. Foreign governments, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada, advised their citizens to stay away from the airport.
Saudi civil aviation officials said the strike hit terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, killing four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one national each from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Sudan. Egyptian state television identified the Egyptian victim as Azza Ramzy, a 28-year-old flight attendant working for Flynas, CBS News reported. Several hospitals treated the 309 injured people, with some remaining in serious condition.
Although the Houthis did not explicitly claim Saturday’s strike, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree issued a broad threat on X, warning airlines, travellers and staff against using Saudi airspace and airports outside Mecca and Medina. Saree wrote that “the airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces,” adding that Saudi Arabia is responsible for failed air defense interceptions.
Washington weighs military response
The strike drew swift condemnation from international leaders and prompted discussions of direct American intervention. Speaking to reporters, President Donald Trump said Washington was evaluating whether to join Saudi Arabia in operations against the Houthis, adding that he planned to talk with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman soon, Al Jazeera also reported. Trump said, “We may. We’re gonna look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We’ll move very quickly.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an American citizen was among the dead and stated that Washington stands with Saudi Arabia. A State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration remains in close contact with Saudi officials.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said attacks by Iranian proxies are pushing the region into further violence and threatening international transport and energy hubs. Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, warned that strikes against civilian airports pose a serious risk to regional security and damage peace efforts. The foreign ministries of Egypt, Qatar and Palestine also condemned the attack, with Qatar and Palestine voicing support for Saudi security measures.
Widening ground clashes across Yemen
The airport strike follows the collapse of a UN-brokered ceasefire that had largely held since 2022. Earlier in the week, strikes hit King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jazan, Najran international airport, and Abha airport, alongside earlier attacks on Riyadh. The Houthis also claimed a missile and drone strike on an Aramco refinery in Rabigh that caused a fire.
Inside Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces began the Dawn of Yemen offensive on October 4 to reclaim territory including the port of Mocha and Mayun island. Government military spokesman Col. Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said ground operations had killed at least 1,150 Houthis and destroyed 180 vehicles and ammunition dumps. Houthi forces have disputed territorial losses while tightening their siege around the contested city of Taiz after seizing al-Turbah.
Fighting has also spread across Marib and al-Jawf provinces east of Sanaa. On Sunday, Houthi-aligned media reported air strikes on Naqil al-Zarbi in Taiz and missile fire in Saada, while Saudi-led forces intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile headed toward al-Kharj and a drone in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
