The United States, United Nations and several countries have condemned a deadly attack blamed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels at Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which reportedly killed at least 12 people and injured 300 others.
US President Donald Trump described the incident as “terrible” and said Washington was considering whether to join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Iran-backed group.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said the victims of Saturday’s attack included four Saudis, two Bangladeshi nationals and citizens of the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.
The incident, which was the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade, marked the third assault on the Riyadh airport within a week.
The attack comes amid an intensification of the conflict in Yemen, where Houthi fighters are battling forces aligned with the internationally recognised government.
Saudi Arabia has been conducting air operations against the rebels in support of the Yemeni government’s military campaign to regain control of the country.
Reacting to the incident, Trump said he would soon speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, about the situation.
“We may. We’re gonna look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We’ll move very quickly,” he said, indicating that the US could consider joining the military campaign against the Houthis.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the attack, saying an American citizen was among those killed.
Rubio called for an end to “these reprehensible attacks”.
“We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families,” he wrote on X.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed shock over the incident and condemned the attack on the Saudi capital’s airport.
In a statement posted on X, Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by “Saturday’s lethal attack by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh”.
He stressed that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violated international law and “must cease immediately”.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, also warned that the strikes on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia represented “a grave escalation”.
“Such actions pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen,” he said in a statement.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strong condemnation” of the attacks, describing them as a “flagrant violation” of international law and criticising the “disregard” for the safety of citizens.
Qatar also condemned the incident, describing the attacks as a “serious violation of Saudi sovereignty and a direct threat to the security of the region, the safety of civilians, civil facilities and air navigation”.
The Qatari government expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and backed “all legitimate measures” the kingdom “takes to preserve its sovereignty, security and safety of its territories”.
Pakistan denounced the attack as a “heinous act of terrorism” and a “grave threat to regional peace and security”.
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Islamabad, which recently activated a mutual defence pact with Riyadh amid the attacks, “stands in unwavering solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.
Jordan’s King Abdullah also conveyed his condolences to Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while reaffirming his country’s support for the kingdom.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “brutal aggression” by the Houthis, describing it as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant breach of international law”.
Oman called for restraint, emphasising the “necessity of prioritising the voice of wisdom and self-restraint, and avoiding actions that would expand the scope of escalation, in order to preserve the security and stability of the region”.
Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs similarly declared “its full solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and supported “all measures taken by the Kingdom to safeguard its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents”.
Japan’s embassy in Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the repeated Houthi attacks, insisting that assaults on civilians “cannot be tolerated” under any circumstances.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the attacks, particularly the strike on King Khalid International Airport, as “abhorrent”.
“There can be no justification for attacks on civilian infrastructure,” he wrote on X, adding that Canada “condemns these reckless acts of violence in the strongest possible terms”.
The international condemnations come as the conflict in Yemen continues to escalate, raising concerns about regional security and the prospects for a peaceful resolution.
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