Attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh Results in 12 Fatalities

At least 12 people have lost their lives in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with numerous others injured in the blast.

Among those who succumbed to their injuries are four Saudis and two individuals from Bangladesh, as well as one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. The Saudi civil aviation authority has confirmed these details. Operations at the airport have been halted indefinitely due to the assault.

The Saudi-led military coalition has swiftly condemned the attack, attributing it to Yemen's Houthi rebels and labeling it a "war crime. This condemnation comes on the heels of escalating violence between the Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops in Yemen. The conflict has resulted in significant losses for both parties.

Fighting in Yemen has intensified in recent times, with the Houthis controlling vast swaths of territory. A separate projectile landed near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday, prompting concerns about potential further attacks.

The assault comes just a day after authorities reported that three Saudi nationals, including a pilot, were killed in Houthi strikes against the airport the previous day.

Eyewitnesses report that over a dozen ambulances rushed to the airport in response to the attack, according to Reuters news agency.

The assault on one of the passenger terminals has resulted in civilian casualties and injuries among both passengers and airport staff, according to Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki. He characterized the attack as a full-fledged war crime.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, confirming that an American citizen was killed in the strikes. Western embassies have issued travel warnings, advising their citizens to stay away from the airport.

Several Gulf airlines have cancelled flights to and from Riyadh due to the security situation at the airport, with Kuwait Airways being one of them. Flightradar shows that all flights to Riyadh have either been diverted or cancelled.

The Houthis claim they are targeting Saudi Arabia for its support of government forces in Yemen's civil war, which escalated after the group seized strategic Red Sea coastal areas, including the port of Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The escalation of violence between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has led to a significant increase in tensions in the region.

The Houthis have been waging a campaign against Saudi Arabia, targeting its airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea as part of their maritime embargo". This move is seen as retaliation against what they perceive as a prolonged blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemen. The Houthis also cited an air strike on Sanaa airport as another reason for their actions.

The recent attack on Riyadh airport resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including three Saudi nationals.