Saudi Arabia weighs response after Houthi attack on Riyadh, deadliest in a decade

A missile attack on Riyadh's international airport, launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, killed at least 12 people and injured 309 on Saturday. The attack, attributed to the Houthis by the Saudi-led coalition, was the deadliest on Saudi soil in over a decade. According to the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the fatalities included four Saudi citizens, as well as nationals from Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan.

The Houthis issued a new threat to Saudi Arabia's airspace on Sunday, warning passengers not to travel to the kingdom's airports, except for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. The group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the airports and airspace were exposed to targeting and constituted a theatre of operations for their forces. The Saudi-led coalition vowed to respond to the attack, which they called a "full-fledged war crime".

The international community has condemned the attack, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling it a "dangerous escalation" and expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump said Washington might join Saudi strikes against Yemen's Houthis, but did not announce a decision. Other leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, also denounced the attack and expressed support for Saudi Arabia. Riyadh's international airport remained closed on Sunday as a result of the attack.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, New Straits Times, Euronews, Gulf News, Ajel English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.