At least 12 killed, 309 injured in new Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

The Iran-aligned Houthi militia struck an international airport in the Saudi capital Saturday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 309, according to three authorities familiar with the strike, as the Saudi-Houthi battle intensifies rapidly.

The strike was the bloodiest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the US-Israeli war with Iran started in February.

The officials, two Western and one Arab, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the news media.
In a statement, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority stated operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were halted on Saturday after the attack.

An eyewitness told Reuters news agency that more than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport.

The US embassy claimed it was “aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport” and called on American people to stay away from the airport and nearby areas.

The strike follows a day after authorities said three Saudis, including a pilot, were killed in two strikes on the airport the day before by the Iran-backed Houthis. Three more persons were killed in Houthi strikes on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October.

An AFP source at a local hospital said dozens of people were injured in Saturday’s attack.

An eyewitness, who said they were at the domestic terminal, told the news agency they had seen gate 401 struck and “injured [people] in front of my eyes”, adding: “Everyone was running.”

Western embassies in Saudi Arabia have advised their citizens to avoid the airport. The UK Foreign Office said British nationals should stay away “until the airport is secure and to monitor the advice of the Saudi authorities”.