12 Killed, 309 Injured as Riyadh Airport Hit Amid Escalating Strikes Between Houthis and Saudi Arabia

RIYADH — A devastating attack on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh has left 12 people dead and 309 others injured, according to official statements from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation. The strike occurred on Saturday afternoon, marking a major escalation in cross-border hostilities as Yemen's Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia trade intense air and missile strikes.

The Saudi aviation authority confirmed early Sunday that the fatalities include four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals: two from Bangladesh and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. The hundreds of injured individuals are currently receiving treatment at multiple hospitals, with several victims listed in serious condition.

Following the attack, operations at King Khalid International Airport were temporarily suspended as engineering teams carried out comprehensive damage assessments and safety checks.

Houthis Call for Humanitarian Corridors as Strikes Intensify

In the wake of the Riyadh airport strike, the Houthi group issued a statement expressing readiness for reciprocal measures with Saudi Arabia. The proposal aims to keep major civilian infrastructure—including airports, seaports, and humanitarian facilities—outside the scope of active military confrontation.

However, the ground and air conflict shows no immediate signs of de-escalation. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi Arabia launched a fresh wave of retaliatory air and missile strikes targeting Houthi-controlled areas across Yemen, including Sanaa International Airport, the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, and multiple northern provinces.

Heavy Casualties Reported Across Yemeni Frontlines

Simultaneously, Yemen's government forces announced that more than 1,150 Houthi fighters had been "neutralized" and over 180 military and logistical vehicles destroyed or damaged across 1,900 strikes in various operational sectors over a 24-hour window. These figures could not be independently verified.

Intense ground clashes are currently underway south of the southwestern city of Taiz, where recent Houthi advances have squeezed government defense lines and disrupted vital supply roads connecting the city to government-held territories in southern Yemen.

The renewed violence follows a major offensive launched on Monday by the Yemeni government—backed by Saudi airstrikes—with the primary objective of reclaiming Houthi-held territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This sudden surge in hostilities shatters the relative calm established by the 2022 UN-brokered truce, returning the region to active conflict for the first time in years.