12 killed and 309 injured in attack on Riyadh airport

Twelve individuals lost their lives and 309 others sustained injuries in a terrorist attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. Among the fatalities were four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, comprising two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan.

The wounded are undergoing medical care at multiple hospitals, with some in critical condition. Material damage from the assault is being evaluated by authorities. The United Kingdom labeled the incident as "serious," causing several airlines to cancel their flights. President Donald Trump pledged to discuss the matter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, expressing that the events in Saudi Arabia are "not acceptable."

President Trump also indicated that the United States might contemplate joining the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi rebels in Yemen. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was among the victims, strongly condemning the terrorist attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These reprehensible strikes, which took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen, occurred unexpectedly without any prior warning from Saudi Arabia's threat monitoring system.

This week, two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport resulted in four deaths and significant damage to a commercial aircraft. Approximately 260 flights to and from Riyadh were canceled, while an additional 219 flights experienced delays, as reported by Flightradar24. The Houthis are currently engaged in a ground offensive against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, while a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the internationally recognized Yemeni government is striving to reclaim territory previously seized by the militant group near the strategic Bab Al Mandeb Strait.