For the second time in just forty-eight hours, explosions have rocked the main international airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital.
A projectile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday. According to Saudi military officials, the impact ignited a fire inside one of the passenger terminals. While the kingdom’s civil aviation authority confirmed that people were injured in the latest blast, they did not immediately release specific casualty figures. Emergency crews rushed to extinguish the flames in the passenger hall while air defense systems scrambled to intercept incoming threats.
This latest attack follows a devastating strike on the exact same airport on Saturday. That earlier bombardment was far more lethal, claiming the lives of 13 people and leaving 308 others wounded. It stands as the single bloodiest strike on a Gulf Arab nation since the wider conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran flared up in February.
A Mounting Toll on International Travelers
The victims of Saturday’s strike represent a diverse group of international travelers and workers. Among the dead were four Saudi citizens, two nationals from Bangladesh, and individuals from Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was also among those killed. By Sunday, the death toll rose further when the Indian embassy announced that an Indian national had died from severe injuries sustained during the chaos.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels quickly claimed responsibility for the weekend of violence. Using a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones, the group has systematically targeted Saudi aviation hubs. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, warned of more to come. He declared that operations deep inside Saudi territory would continue to escalate.
Saree also issued a direct warning to international commercial airlines and travelers, telling them to avoid Saudi airports and airspace entirely, with the exception of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
According to the rebels, these strikes are direct retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military intervention in Yemen’s civil war, as well as a recent airstrike on the airport in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. While Houthi-run media reported that Saudi forces hit Sanaa’s airport, Riyadh has not officially confirmed that specific raid.
Global Powers React to the Escalation
The rapid escalation has triggered immediate alarm in Western capitals. In Washington, US President Donald Trump stated that his administration is closely monitoring the situation. “We’re going to look at it,” Trump told reporters when asked about potential retaliatory military strikes against Houthi targets. “We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Meanwhile, in London, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting hinted that Britain could potentially ramp up its military support for Saudi Arabia. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expressed his horror at the civilian toll, stating he was “appalled” by the assault on the airport. Western embassies, including the UK Foreign Office, have updated their travel advisories, warning citizens against traveling to areas near the Saudi-Yemen border.
The Saudi-led military coalition has vowed to retaliate. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesman, condemned Saturday’s attack as a “war crime.” He stated that Saudi air defenses managed to intercept a missile near Riyadh’s airport on Sunday but did not prevent all damage.
The Broader Conflict in Yemen
From Yemen, Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, the vice-president of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, called on global powers to take “decisive actions” against the rebel group.
The sudden surge in airstrikes and missile attacks marks a dangerous new phase in a long-running conflict. A UN-brokered ceasefire established in 2022 collapsed this past July. Since then, fighting has intensified. The Houthis, backed by Iran, now control roughly 25 percent of Yemen’s territory, containing about 80 percent of the nation’s population. Saudi Arabia has long feared that a total Houthi victory would establish a hostile, Iranian-backed proxy state right on its southern border. With peace talks in tatters, the skies over Riyadh have once again become a battleground.