Several wounded, flights suspended after Riyadh airport attacked again
A deadly attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has resulted in multiple casualties and the suspension of all flights. The incident highlights escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi forces.
Why it matters
The attack represents a significant escalation in regional conflict and exposes vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia's defense infrastructure.
The dead included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the U.S., Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, the Saudi civil aviation authority said. At the latest count, officials said, 309 were wounded.
Hospitals were flooded with wounded brought by ambulance and helicopter, people briefed on the matter said. Some were in critical condition.
Saturday's attack, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, occurred without warning, with no alert issued by Saudi Arabia's threat warning system. This week's two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport left four people dead and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac.
The deadly strikes exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom's defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to support a ground war by the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed group.
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