Saudi air defenses intercepted a cruise missile and destroyed a drone over the Eastern Province on Sunday, yet an unidentified projectile still slammed into Terminal 4 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The impact triggered a fire, killing one person and injuring 11 others according to Saudi authorities. It’s a grim finale to a brutal twenty-four hours that saw the kingdom’s airspace bombarded.
The violence didn’t stop at Riyadh. A projectile hit the tarmac at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam at 8:30 p.m. local time, igniting a fire near parked aircraft. An eyewitness on a taxiing plane told Reuters the crew immediately returned to the gate, forcing passengers to disembark and evacuate the area. The Civil Aviation Authority is currently conducting safety inspections to determine if the airport can resume operations.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for Saturday’s devastating strike in a televised address, stating the group targeted two Saudi Aramco facilities alongside the airports. Saturday’s attack killed 13 people, including Indian national Mohammed Yousuf, 46, and four Saudi nationals. With Sunday’s victim, the death toll from these coordinated strikes over the past week has climbed to 18. The Houthis warned earlier in the day that Riyadh would bear responsibility for any failed interceptions by its air defenses.
Diplomatic fallout is mounting as foreign governments scramble for their citizens. The British embassy in Saudi Arabia advised its nationals to avoid all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam, and all airports except Medina. US aviation authorities issued a similar notice, urging American airlines to exercise extreme caution when flying to or over the kingdom. Saudi-led coalition forces remain on high alert, having intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Khamis Mushait on Sunday.