12 Killed in Attack on Riyadh Airport, Including Two Bangladeshis

At least 12 people have been killed in an attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi armed group on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Among the victims are four Saudi nationals and two Bangladeshis.

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the information in a statement on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the statement, the other victims include one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese national. The attack is the deadliest incident in a Gulf Arab country since the war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority said an assessment of the damage at King Khalid International Airport is underway. Airport operations have been temporarily suspended as a result.

A series of Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s airport this week has dealt a major blow to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform the Saudi capital into a global hub for travel and business.

The attacks have also raised concerns that major international events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks could be disrupted.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, claimed responsibility for the attack on Riyadh’s airport on Saturday. He said the strike was carried out in response to Saudi attacks in Yemen, alleging that civilian infrastructure had also been targeted.

Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis launched the attack “so that the world understands that airports, seaports, wedding venues, funeral halls, hospitals and markets in Yemen should not be attacked or damaged. The same rules that apply to such facilities in Yemen must also apply to similar civilian facilities elsewhere in the world.”

Saudi officials did not immediately comment on the attack. However, a reporter for The New York Times saw at least six ambulances heading towards the airport. Police had also blocked access roads leading to the facility.