Politics & Diplomacy
Riyadh: 12 dead and 309 injured in Houthi missile attack on King Khalid airport; Rubio says an American is among the victims
Saudi civil aviation says at least 12 people were killed and 309 injured when a ballistic missile hit a passenger terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on October 10. Marco Rubio says an American is among the dead; Trump says the US “may” join the strikes on the Houthis.
At least 12 people were killed and 309 injured in the Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, October 10, according to the toll given by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), as relayed by Greek public broadcaster ERT (in Greek). A ballistic missile hit a passenger terminal and flights were diverted. It was the third attack on the airport within a week and, according to Al Jazeera, the deadliest on the kingdom in more than a decade.
The dead include four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one national each of the United States, Jordan, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, as well as one Palestinian, according to Al Jazeera, which cites GACA. The spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, called the attack a “complete war crime” and an act of terrorism and promised a decisive response within international humanitarian law. In the first hours after the strike, an explosion, injuries and flight cancellations had been reported, before the heavy toll was announced.
Rubio: an American is among the dead
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on X that an American citizen is among the victims. He wrote that the United States “strongly condemns” the attacks by the “terrorist Houthis”, including the strike on King Khalid airport, which “took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen”. He called the attacks “reprehensible”, said they show flagrant disregard for the lives of innocent civilians and must stop now, and added: “We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on X that he was “deeply shocked” by the attack and “strongly” condemned it, adding that it “reportedly killed 12 people & injured hundreds of civilians”. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, he said, are a violation of international law and “must cease immediately”. The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called the strikes on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia “a grave escalation” that “pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen”.
Trump: “We’ll make a decision”
President Donald Trump described the attack as “terrible”. Asked whether the United States would join Saudi Arabia’s strikes on the Houthis, he said: “We may. We’re gonna look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We’ll move very quickly.” He said he would speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the attacks “abhorrent”. Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and Pakistan also condemned the attack. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s “steadfast commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity”; Islamabad is a party, with Riyadh and Ankara, to the Mecca defence agreement.
The US embassy advised citizens to avoid the airport, and US government staff now need special permission to use the airports of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The United States, Britain and Canada issued travel warnings, and a drone was shot down in the Eastern Province. Saudi airports had also been attacked earlier in the week, with Greece, from its seat on the UN Security Council, condemning the Houthi attacks on airports and ships.
