A missile struck a domestic passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, leaving multiple people wounded and forcing an immediate suspension of airport operations. The attack occurred amid a broader escalation of hostilities, as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels intensify their campaign against Saudi civilian and military infrastructure following a recent coalition offensive.
The projectile directly hit the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4, which are dedicated to domestic flights, prompting emergency evacuations and the rapid deployment of ambulances to the scene. Saudi civil aviation authorities temporarily halted all air traffic, resulting in the diversion or cancellation of hundreds of flights, while foreign embassies issued urgent security advisories instructing their citizens to avoid the area.
This incident marks a sharp escalation in a recent wave of strikes targeting the Saudi capital, following attacks earlier in the week that killed three people, including an airline pilot. The renewed violence comes as Saudi-backed government forces advance against Houthi positions near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, effectively unraveling a prior truce and drawing the kingdom deeper into the protracted conflict.
"I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running," a witness waiting to board a flight at the domestic terminal told reporters shortly after hearing the loud explosion.
Medical officials in Riyadh confirmed that doctors across the capital were summoned for a "serious emergency" to treat casualties who had suffered severe injuries from the terminal strike. Meanwhile, the continuing disruptions have severely impacted commercial aviation, with numerous international airlines extending flight suspensions to the kingdom as regional allies weigh potential retaliatory measures.