RIYADH/ISLAMABAD (MNN); Saudi authorities temporarily suspended operations at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday after a fresh attack left several people injured, prompting an emergency medical response and warnings from foreign embassies.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed that an attack had caused multiple injuries at the airport. A diplomatic source attributed the strike to a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The aviation authority said airport operations had been suspended while officials assessed the damage and verified the safety of airport facilities. The number of injured was still being determined.
Witnesses described scenes of panic following an explosion at the domestic terminal. One passenger waiting to board a flight told AFP that a nearby gate had been hit and that injured people were lying in front of them as passengers fled.
“I was on gate 403” at the domestic terminal, the witness said. “I saw 401 hit, I saw injured [people] in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.”
Three witnesses confirmed that people were being evacuated from the airport.
A medical source said the health ministry had directed emergency department doctors to report to hospitals across the Saudi capital to treat the casualties. The situation was described as a “serious emergency”, with injured passengers being transferred to hospitals and several reportedly in critical condition.
A source at a local hospital said five people were receiving intensive care, while dozens had reportedly been injured overall. A relative of one victim said shattered glass had caused injuries to the person’s shoulders and arms.
Two doctors told AFP that several pilgrims travelling to Makkah had also been injured while waiting to board their flight.
According to a diplomatic source briefed on the incident, the airport was struck by a missile at around 3pm local time.
The source accused the Houthis of targeting civilian infrastructure, saying Riyadh airport was a civilian facility.
The Houthis did not announce a new attack on Saturday. However, they have repeatedly targeted Saudi facilities, including airports and energy infrastructure. The group had claimed a series of strikes on Thursday that reportedly killed three people and damaged an aircraft.
Embassies issue security warnings
Foreign diplomatic missions urged their nationals to stay away from King Khalid International Airport following the incident.
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said it was aware of the attacks and advised American citizens to avoid the affected area. The Canadian, German and Spanish embassies issued similar warnings.
Spain’s embassy warned its nationals of a new attack attributed to the Houthis in a message posted on social media platform X.
A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies had decided, as a precaution, to restrict staff travel to and from Riyadh airport over the coming week.
Passengers carrying their luggage were seen waiting on the pavement near an airport metro station as disruption continued.
Yemen conflict intensifies
The attack comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen following the collapse of a United Nations-brokered truce and a broader regional conflict that has disrupted energy supplies and unsettled international markets.
Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government and has become increasingly involved in the conflict with the Houthis.
The group has repeatedly targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers since the breakdown of a ceasefire arrangement in July. Recent attacks on Riyadh have been described as unprecedented in their scale and frequency during the eight months of regional conflict.
Both Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have signalled their willingness to continue fighting, raising concerns over the prospects for a diplomatic settlement.
Meanwhile, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have been advancing against Houthi positions in areas around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait that were captured last month, military sources told AFP.
The Yemeni government recently announced a counter-offensive aimed at reclaiming territory held by the Houthis after the group seized the country’s western coastline in a rapid military campaign.
The Houthis acknowledged that government forces had launched an assault in the Bab al-Mandab area but claimed to have repelled it.
The strait is a critical maritime chokepoint for oil shipments and commercial cargo moving through the Red Sea.
The claims made by both sides could not be independently verified because of rapidly changing conditions on the ground and limited access for journalists.
