Houthi strikes kill 13 at Riyadh airport, trigger global travel alerts

Travelers and airlines face sudden upheaval after missile and drone strikes hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300 others. The deadliest attack occurred on Saturday when projectiles struck the terminal, according to Saudi officials. A follow-up strike on Sunday killed one additional person and injured nearly a dozen.

Saudi authorities extended the airport closure through Monday, canceling at least 540 flights scheduled for that day and more than 300 for Tuesday. The General Authority of Civil Aviation reported five attacks on Saudi airports in less than a week. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam also remained closed, while flights at Jeddah continued with widespread delays.

Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea issued or expanded travel advisories urging citizens to avoid Riyadh and, in several cases, other Saudi airports. The U.S. Embassy advised Americans to reconsider all travel to the kingdom and required special authorization for government employees using the airport. New Zealand specifically warned against travel to the provinces of Najran, Jazan, and Asir.

Yemen's Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the Riyadh attacks and stated they responded to Saudi military operations in Yemen. Saudi officials described the strikes as aggression and said the kingdom would respond with equal seriousness. U.S. President Donald Trump stated the United States may join Saudi retaliation efforts. Iran's foreign minister separately offered to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Surveillance footage released by Saudi authorities showed passengers rushing for cover inside the terminal as smoke filled the space. One report identified an American among the Saturday fatalities along with nationals from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and India; other accounts listed 12 or 13 total deaths without naming nationalities. The precise casualty figures and the American victim's identity could not be independently verified across all sources.