Summary

Donald Trump is considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis after a missile attack on Riyadh airport killed 12 people, including a US national. The Houthi strike, the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the US began its war with Iran, hit a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport on Saturday. Riyadh’s civil aviation authority confirmed that an American was among those killed in the strike and that 309 others were injured. Four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Sudan, Syria and Egypt were also killed in the attack. Operations at the airport have been suspended. The Saudi-led military coalition blamed the Houthis for the attack, which they called a “war crime,” and vowed to respond. It was the deadliest attack in the kingdom since May 2015. The Houthis said the group had “shut down” the airport in a post on X, and threatened to carry out more strikes on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been pounding Houthi positions in Yemen in recent weeks following a breakdown in relations. Saudi Arabia backs the government in Yemen, which has been engaged in fierce fighting to control the gateway to the Red Sea. The Houthis are backed, funded and partly armed by Iran. Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday night that he “may” join Saudi Arabia’s strikes on the Iran-backed militia, which is based in Yemen. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” Mr Trump said. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.” Calling the attack “not acceptable”, the US president said he “will be speaking” to Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince. The US has previously carried out air strikes on Houthi positions but has not engaged in conflict in the Middle East since the pause in the Iran war. Mr Trump has also admitted in recent days that the US has a shortage of arms, some of which are critical to defending its bases in the region from counterstrikes. On Thursday, three Saudi citizens including a pilot were killed when a suspected Houthi missile struck a passenger plane on the tarmac of the Riyadh airport. Flights to Riyadh were still being diverted on Saturday, the Flightradar24 tracker reported, almost four hours after the last plane landed at 2.05pm (12.05pm Irish time). Kuwait Airways said it was cancelling flights to the airport, and Canada’s embassy advised citizens to avoid all travel to the site, noting “ongoing military activity”. Marco Rubio, the US state secretary, confirmed a US citizen had been killed and condemned the strikes. “These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life,” Mr Rubio wrote on X. “They must stop now.” He added: “We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families.” ‘Full-fledged war crime’ Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, the Saudi-led coalition spokesman, described the attack as a “full-fledged war crime”. “The cowardly terrorist attack by the Terrorist Houthi Militia... which resulted in deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport staff, constitutes a full-fledged war crime,” he said in a statement on X. António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, said he was “deeply shocked” by the attack, which he said was a “violation of international law”. Saudi’s civil aviation authority said some of those injured in the attack were “in critical condition” and that damage to the airport was being assessed. Two doctors said several pilgrims headed to Mecca were among the wounded. The airport has been targeted several times since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen. Houthi fighters claimed responsibility for the earlier attacks, including one on Wednesday that killed a Sudanese national. Ahmed Sayed, a Riyadh resident, told the Associated Press that he had heard at least two loud explosions that rocked the capital. One passenger told AFP that they had witnessed a strike in the airport’s domestic terminal. “I was on gate 403,” the witness said. “I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.” Another traveller said they had seen something fly across the sky outside before part of the ceiling collapsed near a departure gate. The airport issued an alert telling passengers that they should check their flight status with airlines before heading to the airport. At least 580 flights have been cancelled over the past 24 hours, according to Flightradar24. Embassies have warned citizens to stay away from Riyadh airport, with the UK Foreign Office telling British nationals to avoid the area “until the airport is secure”. Escalating fighting in Yemen has seen the Saudi-led coalition launch air strikes to counter Houthi gains along the Red Sea, which threaten a key shipping route. In response to attacks on its infrastructure, Saudi Arabia has secured US assistance, including targeting support and intelligence sharing.