Second Houthi missile strike on Riyadh airport in two days kills one as Trump weighs direct U.S. involvement

A projectile struck King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, causing a fire in a passenger hall, in the second strike on the airport in two days.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said one person, a Pakistani resident, was killed and 11 injured in the Sunday strike. The attack followed a Saturday strike on the same facility whose casualty figures remain disputed: the BBC reported 13 killed and 308 injured, while the Saudi Gazette, citing the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, reported 12 killed and 309 injured. A Thursday strike on the airport killed three Saudi nationals, including a pilot. The Sunday and Saturday strikes made it the third Houthi attack on the facility in four days.

Houthis claim strikes and warn airlines

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they had targeted the airport with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones in the past 24 hours. Their military spokesman, Brig Gen Yahya Saree, said they also attacked oil facilities and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia. The group issued a sweeping warning to airlines and travelers.

“We renew our warning to all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports in (the holy cities of) Mecca and Medina,” the Houthis said in a post on X.

Trump signals openness to direct U.S. involvement

President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday that the U.S. was weighing whether to join Saudi Arabia’s fight against the Houthis. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” he said. “We just found out about the recent attack. So, we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.” Two Saudi government officials told MS NOW that the kingdom is requesting urgent defense support from the U.S., adding that Washington needs to intervene as soon as possible. The Trump administration approved the potential $24.3 billion sale of nearly 50 F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia last month, and the sale is under congressional review. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed a U.S. citizen was killed in the Saturday strike.

Coalition vows response; UK offers limited support

Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, described the Saturday attack as a war crime and said the coalition would respond decisively. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the UK could potentially provide more support for Saudi Arabia. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was appalled. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said an Indian man succumbed to injuries sustained in the attack. Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, vice-president of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, called for decisive actions from regional and international partners.

War context and diplomatic overtures

A temporary ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces, brokered in 2022, collapsed in July. Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi forces launched an air strike on Sanaa International Airport and that a residential home was also struck, killing a child and injuring six. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the attacks, and the BBC has been unable to verify the report. The five-day WPC Energy Congress is taking place at a convention center near King Khalid airport, with more than 70 ministers, 300 company executives, and representatives of more than 25 international energy organizations confirmed. The Houthis have also been trying to choke off oil tanker traffic through the Bab el Mandeb strait.