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Two attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday killed three Saudi nationals and injured others, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement on Friday, announcing that operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.
The first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second targeted an aircraft belonging to national carrier Saudia, the authority said in a statement on X.
Emergency teams responded immediately in line with approved plans, it said.
The deaths at the kingdom’s main airport mark an escalation in Houthi attacks on the Saudi capital, which have been unprecedented in scale and frequency during the eight months of wider war in the Middle East.
The attacks injured "a number of citizens and residents of various nationalities,” with injuries ranging “from minor to serious," and caused some material damage, the authority said.
The authority said it was coordinating with security agencies to assess the damage and ensure the safety of passengers and workers.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced three attacks on Riyadh’s airport Thursday and said the group also fired missiles at an airport in Najran and an air base in Khamis Mushait.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two missiles fired toward Riyadh.
The civil defense agency said "interception debris" damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the city, without giving details on casualties.
The Houthis on Thursday also warned workers to evacuate Saudi oil facilities.
Diplomats in Riyadh were instructed to shelter at their embassies after explosions echoed around the city Thursday morning, some told Agence France-Presse (AFP). At least one international school sent children into a basement, and some companies in the King Abdullah Financial District evacuated staff, residents said.
Numerous flights were delayed or canceled.
The U.S. urged its citizens in Saudi Arabia to "exercise heightened vigilance" and now requires government employees to obtain "special authorization" to use the airport.
Earlier Houthi attacks killed a Sudanese national at Riyadh airport and two people at Abha airport, according to Saudi authorities, as attacks on the Riyadh airport and other targets intensify.
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