Riyadh’s international airport remained closed on Sunday, a day after an attack killed 12 people. US President Donald Trump said Washington might join Saudi strikes against Yemen’s Houthis. Asked on Saturday whether Washington would take part, Trump told reporters, “We may.
We’re going to look at it.” He did not announce a decision to join the strikes. He later said Saudi Arabia could defend itself against the Houthis and described the airport attack as “terrible”. The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for the attack on King Khalid International Airport and vowed a decisive response.
Saudi aviation authorities said 309 people were injured, some critically. Four Saudis and eight foreign nationals, including an American citizen, were killed. The Houthis renewed their warning on Sunday to airlines, airport workers and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the facilities remained vulnerable to attack.
In a separate incident, the coalition said a projectile fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the strike a “dangerous escalation” on Sunday and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the attack.
These attacks must cease immediately,” he said in a statement issued on Saturday. Qatar condemned the strike as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to civilians and aviation safety. UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned on Sunday that the attacks threatened regional security and further complicated efforts to secure peace in Yemen.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said the airport’s closure had been extended until midnight local time at the start of Monday, 12 October. Saudi aviation authorities had not confirmed when flights would resume. A senior aviation source told that operators had been informed at dawn that flights would remain suspended.
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