At least 12 dead in Riyadh airport attack: Saudi officials

At least 12 people were killed when a missile struck Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, according to Saudi officials. Among the victims were four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Sudanese national. Several wounded individuals were in serious condition.

The attack marks an unprecedented wave of strikes by Iran-backed Houthis against Saudi targets, including airports, oil facilities and tankers, since a Yemen truce collapsed in July. Saudi civil aviation authority halted operations at the airport following the strike, prompting health officials to deploy additional doctors to handle the serious emergency.

Embassies cautioned their citizens to avoid the airport, and some foreign nationals witnessed the missile hit. A U.S. spokesman stated that a projectile had landed near another Saudi airport in Dammam. The Houthis claimed to have targeted the airport on Thursday, causing three deaths and damaging a plane. Two doctors told AFP that several pilgrims headed to Mecca were among the wounded.

The civil war in Yemen reignited in July after a four-year truce ended, deepening Saudi involvement in the conflict. The White House considered whether to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, while U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia advised citizens to avoid the airport. The attack occurred on the eve of Saudi Arabia's high-profile convention and entertainment season, which typically draws foreign leaders and business figures to the city.