RIYADH: A Pakistani national was killed and 11 people sustained injuries in an attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed.
In a statement, the aviation authority said the injured were shifted to hospitals for medical treatment. Officials, working alongside relevant agencies, were also assessing the damage and checking the safety of airport facilities.
The latest casualties were reported after authorities announced fresh attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
According to earlier reports, a deadly strike attributed to Yemen’s Houthi militia hit King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, killing 12 people and leaving more than 300 others injured.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said the victims of the third attack on the airport that week included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. The reported number of injured stood at 309.
The attacks have heightened concerns over the widening regional conflict, which has spilled over from the war involving Iran that began with US and Israeli strikes in February.
US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis.
Reports from the scene said hospitals received large numbers of casualties transported by ambulances and helicopters, with some victims reported to be in critical condition. The strike reportedly occurred without prior warning.
Two earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport during the same week had killed four people and caused significant damage to a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks, saying they “demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also denounced Saturday’s strike, stressing that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law and must stop immediately.
Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government have reported hundreds of strikes against targets in Houthi-controlled areas. The Houthis, in turn, have alleged that the attacks killed civilians, including women and children.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the competing claims.
