Riyadh Airport Struck Again, Flights Suspended and Several Injured, Saudi Aviation Authority Says

Since the Yemen truce began unraveling in July, the Houthis have escalated from a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia to repeated strikes on Saudi airports, and on Saturday, Oct. 10, the capital's main airport took another hit.

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended after an attack that caused injuries. The authority said the suspension would last pending a damage assessment and confirmation that facilities are safe. It gave no casualty figure.

What happened at the airport

A regional official told the Associated Press the missile hit the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. A hospital source told AFP that dozens were wounded, most of them Saudi nationals, and that at least five were in intensive care. Doctors across the capital were summoned to hospitals and told to expect a "serious emergency situation."

One witness at the domestic terminal described the scene to AFP: "I was on gate 403. I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running." An injured traveler told Reuters she saw something cross the sky before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.

Saudi Arabia's early warning system did not sound an alert ahead of the strike, according to Reuters.

No one had claimed the attack by the time of the latest reports. A diplomatic source attributed it to a Houthi missile. Media outlets tied to the Iranian-led regional axis claimed there were fatalities.

A week of strikes

This is not the first hit this week. The airport was struck twice earlier, leaving four people dead and an aircraft badly damaged. Thursday's attacks killed three Saudis, including a pilot. The Houthis claimed responsibility for an earlier strike on Wednesday that killed a Sudanese national. Another Houthi attack hit the airport in Abha.

The Houthis say they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its backing of the Yemeni government in the civil war. They have declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations and warned airlines to stay out. The warning followed the Saudi-backed government's offensive against the group earlier this month.

The fight over Bab al-Mandab

The air campaign is tied to ground fighting near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping. The Houthis had seized stretches of the Red Sea coast, including the port of Mokha.

Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber declared that the strait "has been cleared of the remnants of the Houthi terrorist militia." Aidarous al-Zubaidi, president of the Southern Transitional Council, said Perim Island and the coastal area had been retaken.

The government's own military spokesman, Waddah al-Dabish, was more cautious. He said only half the area had been recaptured so far. A Houthi spokesperson claimed government forces were hit with ballistic missiles and artillery, with more than 22 armored vehicles destroyed and dozens killed or wounded. None of these battlefield claims has been independently confirmed.

Washington weighs in

Asked outside the White House whether the U.S. would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, Trump said: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said it was aware of the attacks and "strongly recommends all US citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas." It added that U.S. government employees in Riyadh need special authorization to use the airport. The Canadian, German, Spanish, UK and Irish embassies also issued warnings.

Flights and the conference calendar

Flightradar24 showed all flights to Riyadh diverted or canceled. Kuwait Airways canceled flights KU775 and KU776, citing the closure of the airport because of the "security situation." Etihad and Qatar Airways canceled multiple Riyadh flights, some into Monday. FlightAware logged at least 225 cancellations at the airport over the preceding 24 hours.

Air India Express has suspended Riyadh flights through Oct. 14, and Air India through Oct. 15. Air India, flydubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines had already suspended Saudi service after Thursday's attack.

The timing is awkward for Riyadh. The kingdom is due to host major energy and investment conferences shortly. Organizers said Saturday the events will proceed as planned and sought to reassure attendees about security.

Two questions are open: whether Saudi Arabia can reopen its main hub while missiles are getting through without warning, and whether Trump's "we may" turns into a U.S. decision to join strikes on the Houthis.