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The United Nations, the United States, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh condemned a Saturday attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that killed at least 12 people and injured 309, as the Saudi-led coalition blamed Yemen’s Houthis and vowed to respond "decisively."
"I am deeply shocked by & strongly condemn Saturday’s lethal attack by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which reportedly killed 12 people & injured hundreds of civilians," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on X, calling attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure "a violation of international law."
It was the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade, and U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington "may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis.
The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the U.S., Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said.
Some of the 309 injured were in critical condition.
"I was on gate 403. I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running," a passenger told Agence France-Presse (AFP) of a strike in the domestic terminal.
Airport operations were suspended and flights diverted.
Schools in Riyadh switched to distance learning for the week, and the U.S., Canadian, German and Spanish embassies warned their citizens to avoid the airport.
"The cowardly terrorist attack by the Terrorist Houthi Militia, which resulted in deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport staff, constitutes a full-fledged war crime," coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said, adding the coalition "will respond decisively to this terrorist attack."
The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, though the head of the group's media office posted on X that it had "shut down Riyadh international airport."
The Houthis had claimed earlier attacks on the airport this week.
Asked whether the U.S. would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, 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."
"What happened in Saudi Arabia's not acceptable," he said, adding he would speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the attacks "reprehensible," saying they "demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life" and must stop "now."
One American was among the dead.
"We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and damage to property," India's Ministry of External Affairs said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it a "heinous" attack.
"Attacks targeting civilians and vital infrastructure are utterly unacceptable and pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability," he wrote, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security under their defense pact.
"Attacks endangering civilian lives and targeting civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and must cease immediately," Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said.
"These attacks represent a grave escalation," said Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen. "Such actions pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen."
The attack was the deadliest in the kingdom since a May 2015 Daesh suicide bombing at a mosque in Qatif killed 21 people, as condemnation of the Riyadh airport attack mounts.
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