A projectile hit King Khalid International airport in Riyadh on Sunday, leaving one person dead and 11 others hurt, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said. The General Authority of Civil Aviation, known as GACA, identified the dead person as a Pakistani resident and said the wounded had been sent to several hospitals for care.
The projectile struck terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, a day after a Houthi missile hit the same airport. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, who receive Iranian backing, said that earlier attack killed 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Sunday strike on domestic terminals adds to toll
India’s embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died on Sunday from wounds sustained in Saturday’s assault, which would raise the overall toll to 13. GACA said damage assessments and safety inspections of the airport were under way.
A witness aboard a taxiing aircraft told Reuters that the projectile landed on the tarmac beside several parked planes at about 8:30pm (17:30 GMT), setting off a fire. The aircraft returned to its gate, where passengers were allowed off and told to leave.
Repeated attacks and airport closure since Saturday
The Riyadh airport has come under fire four times in five days. Houthi strikes on Thursday killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, according to GACA. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attacks that preceded Sunday’s.
The airport has remained shut since Saturday’s strike, the deadliest the country has seen since the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February.
Yemen escalation raises fears for oil and shipping
The attacks have escalated the fighting in Yemen and could draw in the US military. US President Donald Trump said he is weighing whether to join the fight against the Houthis, and that he intended to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking help. No sign emerged on Sunday that Trump had followed up on that claim.
The escalation adds pressure on global oil supplies and prices, as well as on shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait off Yemen’s coast, a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Fears persist that US intervention could prompt the Houthis to halt traffic through the strait, further restricting oil flows out of the Gulf.
The rebels seized key areas along the strait last month, and the Saudi-led coalition, which backs forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has been trying to win them back.
