At least 12 dead in Riyadh airport attack: Saudi officials

At least 12 people lost their lives and 309 were injured in a strike on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, October 10th, according to Saudi civil aviation officials. The attack, which a diplomatic source blamed on Yemen's Houthis, prompted the activation of a rare mass call-up of doctors to handle the serious emergency.

Four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one US citizen, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian, and one Sudanese were among the casualties. Several wounded individuals were in critical condition.

Since the truce in Yemen's civil war unraveled in July, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched a series of strikes against Saudi Arabia, targeting airports, oil facilities, and tankers. The Saudi-led international coalition fighting against the Houthis claimed a projectile had landed near another airport in Dammam, southeast of Riyadh. The Houthis had previously claimed responsibility for a series of strikes targeting the airport on Thursday, killing three people and damaging a plane.

The civil war in Yemen reignited in July after a four-year truce collapsed, leading to fierce fighting between Saudi-led coalition forces and Houthi rebels. The Saudi government, along with its allies, has been supporting Yemen's government militarily since 2015. US media outlets reported that previous requests for American military assistance against the Houthis had been denied.

Foreign embassies in Saudi Arabia advised their citizens to avoid the airport following the attack. Media outlets reported that some passengers witnessed the strike while others were among the wounded, primarily pilgrims heading to Mecca. The Saudi government and Western embassies called for heightened vigilance and warned their citizens to exercise caution at the airport.

The attack came on the eve of Saudi Arabia's high-profile convention and entertainment season, which typically sees a flurry of international visitors and business leaders in the city.