President Donald Trump said the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis after the deadly airport attack, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the assault.
BY PC Bureau
October 11: A missile slammed into a terminal complex at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 300, in the deadliest attack on a Gulf Arab country since the wider Iran conflict began.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said some of the injured were in critical condition as emergency teams rushed to hospitals across the capital. The Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen and vowed a forceful response.
The missile struck a complex housing Terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, according to a regional official familiar with the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Saudi authorities said those killed included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis and nationals of Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.
Video footage posted on social media and analyzed by The Associated Press showed at least one ambulance and another vehicle outside the airport following the strike.
The attack, one of several targeting the airport in recent days, is likely to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia’s international allies, particularly the United States, for additional military assistance. Riyadh has so far appeared determined to prevent the confrontation with the Houthis from developing into a full-scale regional war.
US President Donald Trump said shortly after Saturday’s attack that Washington was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis.
“We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump said, adding that the US had only recently learned of the attack. He later said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and described the strike as “not acceptable.”
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed. Condemning the attack, Rubio said the “reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life” and must end.
The Saudi-led coalition described the missile strike as a “fully-fledged war crime”, stressing that the airport contains no military facilities. The Houthis had not immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
Earlier, however, the rebels accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.
The Houthis had claimed responsibility for earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport during the week that killed three Saudis, including a pilot. The latest escalation has also involved attacks on other Saudi airports, military installations and oil infrastructure following a major Saudi-led coalition offensive against Houthi positions in Yemen.
🇸🇦🇺🇸A US citizen is DEAD after Saudi airport attack
12 lives lost, over 300 wounded and counting…
King Khalid Airport in Riyadh is in total CARNAGE.
Officials insist the conflict is “contained,” while ballistic missiles flatten civilian departure lounges and KILL travelers from nine other nations.
This isn’t distant crossfire anymore, it’s a full-scale international inferno.
Writer: Bri
https://t.co/eBvPg9qvO0— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 10, 2026
Saudi civil aviation authorities suspended airport operations following Saturday’s strike. Police blocked access roads, lights around parts of the complex were dimmed and flights were diverted, according to Flightradar24.
The United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada advised their citizens to avoid the airport.
The escalating attacks have raised fresh concerns for Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, and added to uncertainty in already volatile regional energy markets. Despite the attack, Saudi authorities continued preparations for a major international energy conference scheduled to open in Riyadh on Sunday.
US Strike in Gulf of Oman
In a related development, US Central Command said an American fighter jet struck and disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman with a precision munition as part of efforts to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica had departed an Iranian port and ignored repeated warnings, according to US officials. The vessel’s crew was unharmed.
The widening conflict has increasingly drawn the Houthis into a confrontation that had previously been centered on Iran, Israel and the United States. The rebels have emerged as a mechanism through which Tehran can exert pressure on Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been locked in conflict since 2015, when Riyadh intervened in Yemen’s civil war in support of the internationally recognized government.
A relative lull followed a 2022 ceasefire, but tensions reignited in July when the Houthis resumed attacks, accusing Saudi forces of striking Sanaa airport while an Iranian aircraft was attempting to land. The renewed confrontation also revived disputes over the Saudi-led blockade of Houthi-controlled territory.
Fighting has since intensified, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support to Yemeni government forces attempting to roll back recent Houthi advances along the Red Sea.
Those gains have strengthened Houthi surveillance capabilities along an important alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has also targeted commercial vessels.
The Houthis say they are targeting Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the blockade, but the prospect of broader attacks has raised alarm among regional governments and international airlines.
The rebels previously attacked dozens of ships after the Gaza war began, describing the campaign as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians. A subsequent US bombing campaign sharply reduced those attacks.
Saudi Arabia Seeks More Air Defence
Saudi Arabia has been running short of missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to provide additional air-defence support, regional officials told the AP last month.
One regional official said US interceptor stocks had also been depleted during the wider conflict with Iran. American assistance to Saudi Arabia has included intelligence sharing, target identification and operational planning for the latest offensive.
Amid the escalation, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Omani counterpart discussed the importance of supporting diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions. Oman has periodically acted as a mediator between Saudi Arabia, the Houthis and other regional actors.
The Houthis this week issued what they described as a final warning to international airlines operating in Saudi airspace, declaring the kingdom’s airspace a theater of military operations.
Before Saturday’s attack, Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among carriers that had suspended flights to Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, citing the Houthis’ ability to strike deeper inside the kingdom, including Riyadh, and an apparent greater focus on aviation infrastructure.
The agency warned that missile and drone attacks, together with air-defence interception efforts, increase the risk of civilian aircraft being misidentified.
Two regional officials said Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport on Thursday damaged three aircraft. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media. Saudi Arabia’s national carrier confirmed that one of its aircraft was damaged while on the ground and had no passengers aboard.
Saudi authorities have meanwhile warned the public that filming, publishing or sharing information about missile and drone interceptions, as well as the locations of their impact, could expose individuals to legal action.
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