At least 12 people have died and 309 others sustained injuries following another attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid escalating hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed the casualties after Saturday’s incident, which was reported by the Saudi Gazette on Sunday. It was the third attack on the airport within a week.
The victims came from several countries. Four were Saudi nationals, two were Bangladeshis, while the remaining fatalities included citizens of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
Authorities said those injured had been taken to medical facilities, with some reportedly in critical condition.
The assault also damaged sections of the airport, prompting officials to begin assessing the affected infrastructure. Flight operations were temporarily suspended as security teams examined the site and worked to ensure the safety of travellers, airport employees and aviation facilities.
Reuters reported that Saudi officials and the Saudi-led coalition had blamed Yemen’s Houthi group for the attack. However, the group had not publicly claimed responsibility for Saturday’s incident at the time of the report.
The latest violence followed two separate attacks on the airport on Thursday, which reportedly killed three Saudi nationals and left several other people injured, according to the Saudi Gazette.
The repeated incidents have raised fresh concerns over security at one of Saudi Arabia’s major aviation facilities as tensions in the region continue.
