The latest attack on Riyadh’s international airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities. The dead included four Saudi citizens, a U.S. citizen, and nationals from Bangladesh, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.
The strike hit an airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said. Saudi civil aviation authorities said airport operations were suspended, with a notice to aviators extending the shutdown through midnight. Flights were diverted elsewhere, and countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.
The attack was the deadliest in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war, whose fronts have expanded to include fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Saudi-backed government forces there. The attack was one of several in the past week on King Khalid International Airport that killed four people.
President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. 'We may. We’re going to look at it,' Trump said. 'We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.'
The Saudi-led coalition said later Saturday that a projectile had fallen near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and that a Houthi-launched ballistic missile had been intercepted in Al-Kharj governorate, southeast of Riyadh. The Houthis did not immediately issue a statement.
The attacks have rattled markets and the region, and they come as Saudi Arabia runs low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support, according to regional officials cited by the AP. Officials have also said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and Oman’s counterpart also spoke by phone about 'supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions' in the region, according to Saudi authorities. Oman has played a mediator role at times in the region.
For markets, the message is simple: instability around Saudi Arabia does not stay local. It runs straight into shipping lanes, energy infrastructure and investor confidence. Power leaves a paper trail, and this one runs from the airport tarmac to the region’s most sensitive trade routes.
Capital rewards clear rules, and war is the opposite. When airports close and airlines reroute, the costs fall on commerce first and on the taxpayer later, through higher defense burdens and broader security commitments. The market has already voted on uncertainty in the Gulf, and it is not buying calm.
