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The Saudi civil aviation authority placed the death toll at 12 following the missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in the capital on October 10, identifying the victims as four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one national each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. At least 309 people sustained injuries in the assault, which struck a terminal serving domestic flights and forced the suspension of all operations with more than 600 flights canceled in the immediate aftermath. The Saudi-led military coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for the attack, which a diplomatic source attributed to a missile impact around 3 pm local time.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki described the strike in a statement on X as a cowardly terrorist attack by the Houthi militia that targeted civilian passengers and airport staff. Al-Malki stated that the incident constitutes a full-fledged war crime, adding that the coalition would respond firmly to the escalation. The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the October 10 strike but acknowledged carrying out two earlier attacks on the same airport that week, including one on October 9 that killed three people.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen died in the attack and condemned what he called reprehensible strikes that demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. Rubio stated that the attacks must stop now while extending condolences to the victims and their families on behalf of the United States. President Donald Trump described the assault as terrible and indicated that Washington may join Saudi strikes against the Houthis after consulting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply shocked by the strike and stressed that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law. Guterres called for the assaults to cease immediately in a statement that echoed warnings from UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg about a grave escalation threatening regional security. Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar and Pakistan joined the chorus of condemnation, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif labeling the strike heinous and a serious threat to regional peace while reaffirming support for Saudi sovereignty.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul characterized the attack as a terrorist act against Saudi Arabia and civil aviation in remarks on X that conveyed condolences to the victims. The assault ranks as the deadliest in the kingdom since 2015 according to multiple diplomatic assessments that link it to a broader Houthi campaign launched earlier in the summer against Saudi targets. Operations at the airport remained halted through Sunday as authorities assessed damage and airlines rerouted flights amid heightened security measures.
The Houthis issued a warning on October 11 advising airlines and passengers to avoid Saudi airports and airspace because they could become targets for further operations, though the group exempted Mecca and Medina. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, delivered the advisory in a statement that followed the weekend strike without directly acknowledging it. The sequence of attacks this week has compounded disruptions across Saudi aviation infrastructure and drawn fresh calls for de-escalation in the Yemen conflict that has spilled across borders for more than a decade.
