Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport Kills 12 Including American, Saudi Coalition Launches 136-Target Offensive in Yemen

A missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded 309, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities reporting on October 10. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended airport operations, with all entrances blocked and hundreds of flights canceled. The attack, the third on the airport this week, occurred without warning from Saudi Arabia's threat warning system. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's strike, though they claimed earlier attacks on the airport on October 8 that killed three Saudi citizens. The Houthi military spokesperson retweeted a pre-attack message stating only pre-approved humanitarian flights were allowed to land at Riyadh airport, adding the words "a reminder."

The Saudi-led coalition responded late Friday by announcing it had destroyed 136 military targets in a large-scale operation in Houthi-controlled areas, according to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki. President Donald Trump said the United States may join Saudi strikes against the Houthis: "We may. We're going to look at it. We'll make a decision. We move very quickly."

Hundreds of flights were canceled, with multiple airlines including Air India, FlyDubai, and Lufthansa suspending service to Saudi airports. The Houthis' ability to strike deep inside Saudi Arabia despite coalition operations presents a dilemma for Riyadh and Washington if attacks on civilian infrastructure continue.

Sources

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