Riyadh airport hit by projectile a day after deadly missile strike

King Khalid International Airport’s terminals 3 and 4 were struck on consecutive days. A projectile hit the passenger terminal Sunday, causing injuries. The airport remained closed. The attacks were claimed by the Iran-backed Houthis, while the Saudi-led coalition is fighting them in Yemen.

Saturday’s attack was far deadlier. A missile hit the same terminal and killed 12 people, according to Saudi authorities, while about 300 others were wounded. Several victims were seriously injured. An Indian citizen later died from those injuries, potentially raising the death toll to 13.

The attacks marked a sharp escalation because they targeted a major civilian airport with no military facilities. Houthi attacks had reportedly targeted the Riyadh airport every day since Wednesday. Saudi authorities also said Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport was attacked Sunday. Several international airlines suspended flights for varying periods.

The Houthis are described in the article as Iran-backed rebels fighting in Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition is conducting military operations against them. The group claimed responsibility for the Riyadh airport attacks, the Dammam airport attack, and strikes on Saudi oil and gas facilities.

The article gives the conflict’s immediate pattern, but not a complete explanation of why the Houthis began fighting Saudi Arabia. It says the coalition has been trying to seize back key areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that the rebels captured last month. It also reports retaliatory claims and accusations on both sides.

That struggle has expanded beyond Yemen’s battlefield. Houthi attacks now threaten Saudi aviation, energy infrastructure, and shipping routes. Saudi Arabia has sought help from France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt with air defenses. President Donald Trump has said he is considering greater U.S. military involvement.

Saudi authorities said Saturday’s missile strike on the Riyadh airport terminal killed 12 people and wounded another 300. Some of the wounded were in critical condition. The airport attack was described as the deadliest strike in a Gulf Arab nation since the Iran war began.

An Indian embassy statement said one Indian citizen died Sunday from injuries suffered in Saturday’s attack. That would raise the death toll to 13, although the article presents the figure as a possible updated toll. Saudi authorities reported that the dead included several nationalities.

The nationalities specifically listed were four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, one Palestinian, one U.S. citizen, one Egyptian, and one Jordanian. The provided article text ends partway through the nationality details, so it may not contain the complete list. Sunday’s separate projectile attack caused injuries, but no number was provided.

An airport with no military facilities can still be strategically important because it connects civilians, airlines, business, and tourism. Striking it creates fear and disruption without needing to hit a conventional military target. Riyadh’s airport serves as a visible symbol of the kingdom’s openness to the world.

The article gives a direct example. The Houthi attacks forced King Khalid International Airport to remain closed, while several international airlines suspended flights for different periods. The rebels warned travelers, workers, airline staff, and experts not to use Saudi airports or airspace because they had become targets.

The disruption reaches beyond passengers. Saudi Arabia was hosting a major international energy conference when Sunday’s attack occurred, with other high-profile investment events approaching. The attacks therefore threaten the kingdom’s business and tourism ambitions, while also affecting regional aviation and confidence in Saudi security. They can impose costs even without destroying military assets.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial waterway at the southern end of the Red Sea, off Yemen. The article presents it as an alternative route to the Iran-threatened Strait of Hormuz. Ships using it connect important commercial routes and help move energy through the region.

Its strategic importance comes from geography and vulnerability. The Houthis seized key areas along the strait last month, and the Saudi-led coalition has been trying to take them back. The article warns that greater U.S. involvement could prompt the Houthis to halt shipping through Bab el-Mandeb.

A shutdown would affect more than ships near Yemen. The article links the strait to global oil supplies and prices, commercial shipping, and the movement of oil from the Persian Gulf. Any fighting there could force serious concern about energy availability and add pressure to markets already facing threats around the Strait of Hormuz.

If attacks spread, the immediate effects would be disruption and uncertainty. Airports could close, airlines could cancel routes, and travelers could avoid Saudi airspace. Oil and gas facilities could face damage or shutdowns. Those disruptions could affect global supplies and push prices higher.

The article identifies several mechanisms. Houthi forces claimed attacks on Saudi airports and eastern oil and gas facilities. They also warned airlines and travelers away from Saudi airspace. A wider U.S. intervention could lead the Houthis to halt shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, while the Iran-threatened Strait of Hormuz remains another major concern.

The forward risk is regional spillover. Saudi Arabia is already running low on missile interceptors and has requested air-defense support from several countries. More attacks could bring more foreign military involvement, interrupt commercial shipping, and undermine Saudi Arabia’s business and tourism plans. The article does not quantify future price increases or flight cancellations.

A smaller armed group can pressure a stronger state by choosing targets whose disruption carries costs far beyond the battlefield. Airports affect civilians and aviation. Oil facilities affect energy markets. Shipping routes affect international trade. These targets force Saudi Arabia to defend many places at once.

The article shows this mechanism in practice. Houthi attacks struck Riyadh airport, threatened Dammam airport, and targeted oil and gas facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia. The rebels also seized key areas near Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi Arabia was running low on missile interceptors and asked France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt for air-defense support.

That pressure can widen the war. President Donald Trump said he was weighing U.S. involvement, and the article warns that intervention could lead the Houthis to halt shipping through Bab el-Mandeb. More foreign forces, more threatened infrastructure, and tighter energy routes could turn a Yemen-centered conflict into a broader regional confrontation.