Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills 13 and Injures Hundreds

Airport Strike Kills 13 in Riyadh

The Saturday strike on Terminal 4 caused a fire, panicked religious pilgrims, closed the airport, and was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in over a decade; victims included four Saudis and foreign nationals. [4] An Indian national who was injured in the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh later died, raising the death toll from the Saturday strike to 13. [2] Footage released by Saudi state television showed scores of religious pilgrims lined up at a gate as they prepared to travel to Islam’s two holiest sites. [4] A bright orange flash sent people running in panic, while parts of the roof appeared to cave in. [5] The airport was closed after the attack. [4] In Saturday’s attack, the dead included four Saudis while the remainder were foreign nationals. [4]

Follow-up Attack Adds to Toll

One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack on Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday. [3] Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen said an unidentified projectile had targeted Riyadh’s international airport Terminal 4 on Sunday, causing a fire. [4] Eleven people were wounded in addition to the fatality. [4] Coalition forces also said Saudi air defences had intercepted a cruise missile in the vicinity of King Khalid International Airport. [4] They later added that a drone had been intercepted and destroyed in the country’s Eastern Province, and a ballistic missile launched towards Khamis Mushait had been intercepted. [4] Emergency alerts were also issued in Abha, in the south, early on Monday but the danger had since passed. [5]

Houthis Claim Responsibility and Warn of More Attacks

In a televised speech on Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack and said the group had also struck the airport in Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and two facilities of Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco. [4] The Saudi civil aviation authority confirmed the strike on Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport late on Sunday. [4] An eyewitness aboard a taxiing aircraft at Dammam told Reuters that around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, they saw a projectile strike the tarmac beside several parked aircraft, causing a fire. [5] The Houthis earlier on Sunday had renewed their warning against using Saudi airports. [4] “We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions,” the group said. [4] The Houthis said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia carried out 124 air strikes in Yemen in the past 24 hours. [5] “Unless the Saudi enemy stops its aggression and interference in Yemen, worse is yet to come, God willing,” Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry said in statements carried by Al Masirah television. [4]

Regional Powers Condemn Strikes

Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants on Riyadh’s international airport, saying they were a “dangerous escalation that cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext”. [3] The group of regional powers – dubbed the R4 – reaffirmed their solidarity and support for Saudi Arabia, including full support for all “legitimate measures and steps” it takes to counter the attacks, deter threats and prevent them from happening again. [3] “The Group holds the Houthi militia fully accountable for the results of these attacks and any repercussions that come with it that threaten regional and international peace and security, and demands the immediate and unconditional halt of these attacks,” they said in a joint statement on Sunday. [3] NATO member Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia in August, under which an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all. [3]

Context of Renewed Yemen Fighting

Yemen expert Inbal Nissim-Louvton told 103FM that there is an asymmetry here that has worked in the Houthis’ favor in the past and continues to play a role now. [1] Just a few weeks ago, the Houthis controlled the port of Mokha and Mayyun Island, overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but now forces loyal to the internationally recognized government, which are backed by Saudi Arabia, have managed to regain control of those areas. [1] The fighting remains part of a broader conflict within Yemen. [1] The expert emphasized that the Houthis’ capabilities extend well beyond their missile arsenal. [1] “The terrorist organization has more than just ballistic missiles. It is an organization that possesses the apparatus of a state, including the economic capabilities of a country, albeit a poor one like Yemen, but nevertheless,” she said. [1] Countries confronting the Houthis face significant limitations when attempting to strike infrastructure under the group’s control, particularly ports essential to Yemen’s civilian population. [1] “You can strike these ports only up to a certain point because they are the lifeline of most of Yemen’s population,” she said. [1]

International and Domestic Disruptions

Britain’s embassy in Saudi Arabia advised British citizens against all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and all airports in the kingdom except the airport in Medina. [4] US aviation authorities issued a notice to US airlines to use caution while flying to or over the kingdom. [4] A five-day conference of international energy organization WPC Energy opened as planned on Sunday at a convention centre about 10 km from the Riyadh airport. [4] A ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum also went ahead. [4] Saudi authorities announced that in-person classes at schools in Riyadh would be shifted to remote learning from Sunday until Thursday. [5] US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict. [4]

What to watch next: The Houthis warned that worse is yet to come unless Saudi aggression stops, while Turkey assesses how it can help Saudi Arabia with defensive and technical support under the new collective defence pact.