One person was killed and 11 were hurt Sunday afternoon in a new attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said. It came a day after a strike on the same airport killed 12.
The person killed was a Pakistani resident, the authority said in a follow-up statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. The injured were taken straight to a hospital for treatment, and officials are still assessing the damage.
The Houthis say they have hit the airport in four waves since Saturday, and that Sunday’s strikes started a fire, Euronews reported. The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Iran-backed group and promised a decisive response.
Four Saudis and eight foreigners, among them an American, died in Saturday’s attack. Saudi aviation authorities put the number of injured at 309, some in critical condition. One of them, an Indian national, died Sunday, India’s embassy said.
The Houthis have vowed to keep striking Saudi transit hubs. On Sunday they told airlines, airport staff and travelers to stay away from Saudi airports, which they said remain vulnerable.
In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration warned U.S. airlines to be careful flying to or over Saudi Arabia because of military activity and interference with navigation systems. “Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes,” the agency said, according to Reuters reporting carried by The Times of Israel. Its notice is in effect until Dec. 10.
President Donald Trump was asked whether the United States would join the Saudi strikes. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” he said. He later called the attack “terrible” and said the Saudis could defend themselves.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the strike as a “dangerous escalation.” Qatar said it violated Saudi sovereignty and endangered civilians and air safety.
“These attacks must cease immediately.”
The U.N. envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned that the strikes threaten the region’s security and make peace efforts harder.
The airport has not reopened since Saturday. Flightradar24 said the closure was extended to midnight local time at the start of Monday.
Airlines have pulled back. Etihad and Emirates canceled flights to Riyadh, Lufthansa halted service through Oct. 16 and SriLankan Airlines through Oct. 18. Schools in the capital moved classes online for the week.
Saudi authorities have given no date for flights to resume. One aviation source said radar and communications equipment were damaged and the runways still have to be inspected.
