Saudi airport passenger terminal is struck again, a day after 12 were killed

On Sunday, a projectile hit a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, following a previous attack that killed 12 people the day before. The Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen took responsibility for both assaults. The Pakistani victim killed in the latest strike was one of over 300 wounded, some critically, in what has been the deadliest single incident since the Iran war started. The airport had been closed since the previous attack.

The Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which also targeted the airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The U.S. President Donald Trump is considering military involvement, while India's embassy in Saudi Arabia reported one of its citizens died in Saturday's assault, raising the death toll to 13, later confirmed by Saudi authorities.

The escalated conflict in Yemen threatens to draw in greater U.S. military intervention and could disrupt global oil supplies and prices, as well as commercial shipping through crucial alternative routes. The Houthis have struck Saudi airports, oil facilities, and military targets, complicating Saudi Arabia's efforts to regain control over contested areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The kingdom is requesting missile interceptors from France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt.

Some airlines have suspended flights to Saudi airports, and embassies have warned citizens of the risks. The attacks come amid a major international energy conference in Riyadh, highlighting the kingdom's struggle to balance opening up to the world with the ongoing threat. The Saudi energy minister defended the kingdom's resilience, stating they would "come out of the ashes" like a phoenix.