Houthi strike kills one, injures 11 at Riyadh airport a day after deadly attack

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A fresh Houthi attack struck King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Sunday, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11 others. Authorities extended the airport’s closure following a deadly attack the previous day.

The Saudi-led coalition said a projectile hit the airport and sparked a fire, while air defences intercepted another missile nearby. The Iran-backed Houthi group claimed multiple attacks over the past 24 hours and threatened further strikes on Saudi transport hubs.

Saturday’s attack killed 12 people and wounded 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority. The dead included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. An Indian national who was injured in the attack also died on Sunday. Airport radar and communications equipment were reportedly damaged.

The Saudi-led coalition condemned Saturday’s attack as a “full-fledged war crime” and vowed a decisive response. The United Nations and several world leaders also denounced the strike. US President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi attacks against the Houthis.

Further attacks were reported at Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Early Monday, the coalition said it had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile heading towards Khamis Mushait in the kingdom’s south.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-run health ministry claimed Saudi strikes in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Sanaa governorate killed one civilian and injured five others. The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis since 2015. Recent Houthi attacks have targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea. Security analysts say Saudi Arabia’s vast territory makes it difficult to intercept every missile and drone.

On the ground in Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces were advancing against the Houthis near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, military sources said. The Houthis, however, claimed to have repelled the offensive.