The Saudi-led coalition said Sunday it would respond to what it called a “full-fledged war crime” after accusing Yemen’s Houthi rebels of attacking Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the attack on Saturday killed 12 people and wounded 300, some of them seriously injured, Al Arabiya English reported.
In a statement, al-Malki described the incident as a “cowardly terrorist attack” and said targeting a civilian facility violated international law.
“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will respond decisively to this terrorist attack,” he said.
Al-Malki also said on X that a projectile had landed near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. In separate posts, he said the coalition had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile in Al-Kharj Governorate and a drone in the eastern region.
The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies in Saudi Arabia warned their citizens to avoid the airport.
A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies were banning their staff from using the airport “over the next week”.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the “heinous attack” and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security under their defence pact.
The latest attack came on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s high-profile convention and entertainment season, which begins this month.
Riyadh usually hosts a packed calendar of events, including its flagship investment conference drawing foreign leaders and business titans.
In Yemen, Saudi-supported government forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas the group captured last month around the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources told AFP.
The Yemeni government last week announced a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis.
