The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Major attack on Saudi airport kills 12, injures over 300; U.S. weighs response
The attack on the Riyadh airport is the deadliest on a gulf Arab nation since the start of the Iran war. Saudi-led coalition says the Houthis were responsible. Trump says he is considering a potential U.S. response.
A deadly attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities.
The airport complex, which houses terminals for domestic flights, was targeted in what officials described as a major escalation in the regional conflict involving Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Saudi authorities suspended airport operations through midnight and diverted flights as emergency services responded to the scene. Several hospitals treated the injured, many in critical condition, with the government listing a diverse group of nationalities among the dead.
The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthi movement for the attack, while the rebels did not immediately comment. U.S. figures publicly acknowledged an American citizen was among the dead, and the United States publicly weighed involvement in responses to the strikes.
Security was heightened at the airport, with dense police presence and restricted entrances, while other countries advised their citizens to avoid the facility. The attack followed a series of earlier strikes on the same airport and occurred amid broader regional tensions linked to Yemen’s civil conflict and broader Iran-Saudi hostilities.