King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was struck Sunday by a projectile that caused a fire in one of its passenger halls, Saudi military officials said. The attack caused injuries, according to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority.
This marks the second strike on the airport in two days. Saturday's attack killed 13 people and injured 308 others, making it the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since Israel, the US and Iran began military operations in February.
The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility for both strikes and said they used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones over the past 24 hours. Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group also attacked oil facilities and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia. Saree vowed to continue what he called "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia" and warned that all Saudi airports except those in Mecca and Medina remain potential targets.
The Houthis said they targeted Saudi Arabia in response to its military support for government forces in Yemen's civil war and over a Saudi air strike on Sanaa airport. They declared a 24-hour warning for airlines and passengers against using Saudi Arabian airports and airspace.
The death toll from Saturday's attack included four Saudis, two Bangladeshi nationals, one each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed an Indian national died from injuries sustained in the strikes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed an American death. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was "appalled".
Saudi military spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said air defences intercepted a missile near Riyadh airport on Sunday, though an "unknown projectile" still struck Passenger Hall No. 4.
The Saudi-led military coalition called Saturday's attack a "war crime" and vowed to respond. US President Donald Trump said the US would "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the UK could "potentially" provide more support to Saudi Arabia.
This escalation follows the collapse in July of a temporary 2022 ceasefire brokered between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces. The Iran-backed Houthis control roughly one-quarter of Yemeni territory and an estimated 80 percent of the population. Saudi Arabia fears Houthi control would establish an Iranian satellite state on its southern border.