At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured in an attack by Yemen’s Houthi militants on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said that, among those killed, four were Saudi citizens and two were Bangladeshi residents, while the U.S., Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan had one resident each among the dead.
Operations at the airport are “temporarily suspended pending the completion of damage assessment and verification of the safety of the facilities”, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said.
Videos showing air passengers scrambling for safety at King Khalid International Airport amid the chaos caused by the attack have emerged on social media, as global leaders condemned the incident.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on social media, “I am deeply shocked by and strongly condemn Saturday’s lethal attack by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reportedly killed 12 people and injured hundreds of civilians.”
The UN chief added, “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law. These attacks must cease immediately.”
“The Houthi attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in particular the strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, are abhorrent,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on X.
He added, “There can be no justification for attacks on civilian infrastructure. No political or military objective can justify the deliberate targeting of innocent people.”