Circuit Wire — a daily news update from the Circuit.
A Houthi attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, October 10, killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 309, according to Saudi aviation authorities cited by Al Jazeera. Some of the injured are in critical condition and all are receiving hospital care.
Saudi officials said the dead include four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended while officials assessed the damage. Arab News reported that FlightAware showed at least 291 flights canceled at Riyadh over the preceding 24 hours.
It was the third Houthi attack on the airport this week. On Thursday, October 8, an earlier strike killed three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, and damaged a Saudia aircraft, as covered in our earlier Circuit Wire report. Attacks on the Abha and King Khalid airports earlier in the week killed three civilians and injured 36.
The Saudi-led coalition called Saturday's attack a "full-fledged war crime" and said it would respond decisively. A coalition spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said a projectile also fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The Houthis have declared Saudi airspace a military zone, except over Mecca and Medina, and said any aircraft there is a target.
The US embassy strongly recommended that American citizens avoid the airport. The UK embassy advised British nationals to stay away until it is secure, and Canada advised against all travel to the airport, citing ongoing military activity. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, and several international airlines have suspended flights to and from Saudi airports for varying periods, according to Arab News.
President Donald Trump called the attack terrible and said he is weighing whether the United States should join the war against the Houthis. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, and the UK, France, Canada, India and the Gulf states also issued condemnations.
Fighting in Yemen has intensified in recent weeks. Forces loyal to the internationally recognized government are battling the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia says it has carried out hundreds of strikes on Houthi-held territory.
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