Riyadh Airport Attack Kills 12, Injures Over 300; Trump Assessing Whether U.S. Should Join Saudi Strikes Against Houthis

According to The Hindu International, an attack struck Riyadh International Airport in the Saudi capital on the 10th, and preliminary figures released by civil aviation authorities in the early hours of the 11th showed that the attack killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, with some of the wounded in critical condition. It is the deadliest attack suffered by a Gulf Arab state since the outbreak of the Iran war.

A statement from Saudi civil aviation authorities did not attribute the attack to any party. The dead include four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one Palestinian, one American citizen, and one citizen each from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan. The injured were taken to multiple hospitals for treatment.

The attack came as a Saudi-led coalition had launched a major military offensive against Yemen's Houthi forces a week earlier. That afternoon, U.S. President Trump said he was assessing whether the United States should join Saudi Arabia's military strikes against the Houthis.

"We may join. We are looking into it. We just got word of the latest attack, so we will make a decision, and we move very quickly," Trump said when asked by reporters whether he would intervene.

This round of attack is the most serious in a series of strikes on King Khalid International Airport over the past week. A regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that a missile on the afternoon of the 10th hit the building complex housing Terminals 3 and 4 of the domestic terminal.

The background of escalation is clear. Earlier this week, the Houthis claimed an attack on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot. On the 10th itself, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes on Sana'a International Airport in the Yemeni capital, which is under Houthi control. The Houthis have not yet issued a statement on the Riyadh airport attack.

Saudi civil aviation authorities had earlier announced the suspension of airport operations, notifying pilots that the suspension period would last until midnight. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, some flights had diverted to other locations. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada and other countries subsequently issued advisories urging their citizens to avoid the airport.

Citing regional officials last month, The Hindu International reported that Saudi Arabia's air defense interceptor missile stockpile is nearing depletion, and that it has requested France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support to the region. One of the officials noted that the United States' own interceptor missile stocks are also being continuously depleted in the war against Iran. Previous U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification, and planning support for the recent offensive. But Trump's latest remarks indicate that the threshold for direct U.S. military involvement is being put back on the table.

Meanwhile, Saudi authorities this week issued a public warning: "Photographing, posting or sharing information related to the sites of intercepted missiles and drones and their impacts will leave you legally liable." This information control measure echoes the visibly increased police presence around the airport after the attack and the deliberate dimming of facility lighting.

As the world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has seen successive attacks on airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure within its territory, triggering turbulence in international markets. Yet just hours after the latest attack, the Saudi Ministry of Energy was still promoting a major international energy conference scheduled to open in Riyadh on the 11th.

Following the attack, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister held a phone call with his Omani counterpart to discuss "the importance of supporting diplomatic channels to ease regional tensions." Oman, located across the Strait of Hormuz, has previously played a mediating role in regional affairs on multiple occasions.

The Saudi-led coalition provides air support to Yemeni government forces in an effort to reverse the Houthis' recent advances along the Red Sea corridor. That corridor is seen as a key alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, the area where Iran has been persistently attacking commercial vessels. The Houthis previously told media that they only target Saudi vessels in retaliation for the Saudi blockade. After the Gaza war broke out, the Houthis had attacked other ships in the name of solidarity with Palestinians, until large-scale U.S. airstrikes largely curbed that behavior.