Riyadh Airport Attack Follow-Up: Toll at 12 Dead, 309 Wounded Including One American; Trump Weighs US Joining Strikes on Houthis

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed early Sunday that Saturday's Houthi missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and wounded 309, a sharp upward revision from earlier counts, with several of the injured still in critical condition. It was the third attack on the airport this week and the deadliest in a Gulf Arab country since the Iran war began in February. GSM reported the attack itself on Oct. 10; this story covers the confirmed toll and the responses that followed.

The 12 dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. Officials familiar with the casualty count warned the figures were preliminary and could rise. The missile struck the complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights; parts of the roof collapsed onto people inside. Saudi Arabia's threat detection and warning system issued no alert before the missile hit, two Western officials told Israeli media.

The kingdom suspended all airport operations. Flight-tracking data showed at least 291 cancellations within 24 hours, with other aircraft forced to divert. The embassies of the United States, Canada, Germany, Britain, Australia and Spain warned their citizens to avoid the facility and surrounding areas. The U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia said it was aware of the Oct. 10 attacks and strongly recommends all U.S. citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas.

The Iran-backed Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the strike, the third against the airport this week. Separately, the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on X that a projectile fell near Dammam International Airport — the very airport that has served as the main diversion field for flights turned away from Riyadh.

The U.S. responded with unusually forceful language on Saturday. President Donald Trump called the attack not acceptable and said Washington might join Saudi strikes against the Houthis: We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. So we'll make a decision. We move very quickly. He added that he would speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks as demonstrating a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life and said the United States stands with Saudi Arabia. After the strike, the Houthi military spokesperson reposted his own pre-attack message saying only pre-approved humanitarian flights were allowed to land at Riyadh airport, adding the words "a reminder." The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Sources: AP, CNN, Reuters, The New York Times)

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：利雅得哈立德国王国际机场航站楼内景（资料图）

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