At least 12 people, including two Bangladeshis, were killed and 309 injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, according to the country’s civil aviation authority, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement issued early Sunday, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the fatalities included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
Some of the injured are in critical condition and are receiving treatment at hospitals, the authority said. The attack also caused property damage, the extent of which is still being assessed.
GACA had earlier announced the temporary suspension of airport operations following the attack as officials assessed the damage and casualties.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels blamed the group for the attack on the airport’s passenger terminal, describing it as a “full-fledged war crime”.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said a decisive response would be delivered in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Al-Maliki also reported a separate incident involving a projectile that struck an area near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the strike on King Khalid International Airport. The Houthis had not claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack at the time of the report.
In a post on social media platform X on Saturday, Rubio said the attacks showed disregard for civilian lives and must stop immediately.
According to GACA, at least three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in an attack on King Khalid International Airport on Thursday.
Al Jazeera correspondent Youssef Mawry, reporting from Yemen on Saturday, said the Houthis had yet to claim responsibility for the latest attack.
However, the Iran-backed group had warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, saying aircraft flying through the country’s airspace, except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, could become targets.
Following reports of the latest attack, US President Donald Trump was asked by reporters outside the White House whether Washington would join Saudi Arabia in striking the Houthis.
“We might. We will look into it. I just learned about the recent attack, so we will make a decision soon. We act very quickly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the embassies of several countries in Riyadh, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada, issued advisories urging their citizens in Saudi Arabia to exercise caution and avoid the airport.