By GlobalDeskNews Staff
Saudi Arabia has put an official name and number to the worst attack on its soil since February: the country's civil aviation authority said on Sunday that 12 people were killed and 309 wounded in Saturday's attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The strike was the third on the capital's airport in a single week, and the kingdom's airspace — and the region around it — is now visibly rattled. Within hours, a projectile came down near a second Saudi airport in Dammam, and a commercial tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), posted on X and reported by Al Jazeera, gave the first official breakdown of the dead: four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese national were killed. It is the first time any Saudi authority has confirmed the death toll, after anonymous Western and Arab officials had earlier put the figure at 12 killed and more than 50 injured. People briefed on the matter warned CNN that even the new numbers were "not a final toll," with some of the wounded in critical condition.
What we know about the Riyadh airport attack
Saturday's strike hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport without warning. There was no alert from Saudi Arabia's threat-warning system, according to people briefed on the matter who spoke to CNN. An eyewitness at the airport described seeing an explosion and then multiple people lying injured on the ground inside. More than a dozen ambulances raced to the facility — a scene captured in video verified by Reuters. An injured traveler told Reuters they had seen something fly across the sky outside the airport before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.
The wounded were evacuated by ambulance and helicopter, some in critical condition. Operations at the kingdom's busiest airport — serving a city of about 8 million people — were temporarily suspended. Flight-tracking site flightradar24 showed all flights to Riyadh either diverted or cancelled, with only a helicopter hovering over the facility at one point. Western governments moved fast: the US Embassy in Riyadh said it was "aware of attacks" and strongly recommended all American citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas, while the UK and Irish embassies called it a "serious incident" on X and Canada cited "ongoing military activity" affecting operations.
Airlines kept pulling out. Akasa Air extended its suspension of all flights to Saudi Arabia until October 13, citing the "continuing security situation." Kuwait Airways cancelled flights to and from the Saudi capital over the airport closure and security situation. Etihad and Qatar Airways cancelled multiple flights between their hubs and Riyadh, with some cancellations stretching into Monday.
Who carried out the attack?
Here the official record stays quiet. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's strike, CNN reported. But context is hard to ignore: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have been escalating their missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and claimed responsibility for the two earlier attacks on Riyadh airport this week. After Saturday's blast, the Houthi military spokesman retweeted his own post from before the attack — which said only pre-approved humanitarian flights were allowed to land at Riyadh airport — and added the words "a reminder."
The Houthis have declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched an offensive against the group earlier this month, and they have warned airliners to stay out of Saudi airspace. The group is also reported to have claimed responsibility for Saturday's airport attack in separate Arabic-language statements, which remain unverified by independent outlets — the kind of claim this newsroom treats as a claim, not a confirmation.
Second airport targeted: projectile falls near Dammam
Hours after the Riyadh attack, the Saudi-led coalition said a projectile had fallen in the vicinity of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region. Coalition spokesman Maj-Gen Turki al-Malki announced the incident, which was reported by both CNN and Al Jazeera. Dammam's airport has taken on outsized importance in recent days as an alternative to Riyadh's after the spate of attacks on the capital.
No damage or casualties were immediately reported from the Dammam incident. The coalition did not say whether the projectile was intercepted or landed, and no group claimed it.
Trump: "We may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis
The attacks have landed on the White House doorstep. Asked by reporters whether Washington planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, President Donald Trump said: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." The remarks leave open the possibility of direct American military involvement alongside Saudi Arabia — a significant shift, though no decision had been announced at the time of writing.
Diplomats and governments across the region reacted in quick succession. Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" what it called the Houthi attacks on King Khalid airport, calling them a "serious violation" of Saudi sovereignty and saying Saudi Arabia's security is an integral part of Qatar's own. Egypt expressed strong condemnation of the "flagrant" attacks, and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry declared its "full solidarity" with Saudi Arabia. Former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim posted on X that the Gulf Cooperation Council now confronts "several hostile plots and conspiracies" requiring unity, and said it had "become clear that Iran is our primary adversary."
Strait of Hormuz tanker hit as sea lanes heat up
The trouble wasn't confined to Saudi airspace. On Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that an outbound tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil consumption passes. The tanker was struck on the port side and its crew is safe, UKMTO said.
Separately, UKMTO said multiple ship captains near the UAE's Ras al-Khaimah — the emirate closest to the Strait of Hormuz — had been "directed via VHF broadcast to move from their anchorages," with authorities still investigating. The incidents add to a pattern of attacks on shipping that has escalated through the weekend, including earlier strikes on vessels off the UAE and Qatari coasts.
Why it matters
This is no longer a border skirmish. Saturday's toll — 12 dead from nine countries, 309 injured — makes it the deadliest attack on a Gulf Arab country since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February. The international makeup of the victims, including an American, raises the stakes for Washington, and Trump's open-ended "we may" has put direct US military action back on the table. With a projectile now falling near Dammam, two of Saudi Arabia's largest airports have been in the line of fire within a day. And with tankers being hit in the Strait of Hormuz while the strait still funnels a fifth of the world's oil, the risk of this conflict choking global energy supplies — and prices — is growing by the day.
What happens next
- The US decision: Will Trump join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, or restart strikes on Iran? He says a decision is coming "very quickly."
- The toll: Saudi authorities have warned the casualty figures are not final — watch for updated numbers as more of the 309 injured are assessed.
- The airports: Will Riyadh airport reopen for normal operations, and does Dammam become the target of a follow-up?
- Claim of responsibility: No group has publicly claimed Saturday's Riyadh attack. A Houthi statement in the coming hours would shape how this is read worldwide.
- The strait: Whether the Hormuz tanker attack was a one-off or the start of a shipping campaign — and what it means for oil prices already under pressure.
Key takeaways
- Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority confirmed 12 killed and 309 wounded in Saturday's attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport — the third strike on the airport in one week.
- The victims spanned nine countries: four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese national.
- No group has publicly claimed Saturday's attack; the Houthis claimed the two earlier attacks this week and have declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations.
- A projectile fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam — Saudi Arabia's backup gateway after the Riyadh attacks — the Saudi-led coalition said.
- Trump said the US "may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, promising a decision "very quickly."
- An outbound tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, UKMTO reported; ships near Ras al-Khaimah were told to leave anchorages.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Riyadh airport attack?
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed 12 people were killed and 309 injured. The dead included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese national. Authorities have said the figures are not yet final.
Who attacked the Riyadh airport?
No group has publicly claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed the two earlier attacks on the airport this week and have been escalating missile strikes on Saudi Arabia. Their military spokesman retweeted a pre-attack warning about Riyadh airport after the strike, adding "a reminder."
Was Dammam airport attacked too?
Not directly. The Saudi-led coalition said a projectile fell in the vicinity of King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region. No damage or casualties were immediately reported, and no group claimed the incident. Dammam has become an important alternative airport after the attacks on Riyadh.
Did the US say it would strike the Houthis?
President Trump did not announce a decision. Asked whether Washington would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, he said: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." He has also not ruled out restarting strikes on Iran.
What happened in the Strait of Hormuz?
On Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that an outbound tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz and struck on the port side. The crew is safe. UKMTO separately told vessels near the UAE's Ras al-Khaimah to move from their anchorages via VHF broadcast.
Are airlines still flying to Saudi Arabia?
Many have stopped. Akasa Air extended its suspension of all flights to Saudi Arabia until October 13. Kuwait Airways, Etihad and Qatar Airways have all cancelled Riyadh services, with some suspensions running into Monday. Passengers are being told to check with their airlines before heading to any airport.
Sources
- CNN — Attack on Saudi airport leaves at least 12 dead, 309 wounded
- Al Jazeera — Iran war live: 12 killed in attack on Riyadh airport — Saudi authorities
- United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) advisories, via Al Jazeera liveblog
Related coverage: Riyadh Airport Attack Kills 12, Houthis Claim Responsibility · Riyadh Airport Attacked Again, Evacuated After Fresh Strikes