King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh suffered a second strike in as many days on Sunday, according to a Saudi military spokesman. A projectile hit the airport and ignited a fire in Passenger Hall No. 4, the Saudi civil aviation authority reported. The authority said there were injuries but did not specify a number.
The Houthis claimed responsibility. Their military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said the group had targeted the airport over the past 24 hours with a mix of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. He said they also attacked oil facilities and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, and vowed to continue "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia," warning that all Saudi airports were potential targets except those in Mecca and Medina.
Sunday's strike follows Saturday's attack on the same airport, which killed 13 people and injured 308 others. That strike was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran began in February, according to the source material. Four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt died in Saturday's strike. An Indian man also died from injuries sustained in that attack, the Indian embassy said.
The Houthis have said they are targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war and over a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa airport. Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, said air defences intercepted a missile near Riyadh airport on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said the US would "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the UK could "potentially" provide more support to Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the attacks.
The escalation follows the collapse in July of a temporary ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces that had been brokered in 2022. The Houthis control roughly a quarter of Yemen's territory and up to 80% of its population. Saudi Arabia fears Houthi control would establish an Iranian satellite state on its southern border.