Riyadh Airport Operations Halted After Missile Strike Hit Terminal Complex
- A missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights at King Khalid International Airport on Saturday afternoon, according to regional officials, as cited in...
- Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed that at least 225 flights were canceled at the Riyadh airport over a 24-hour window, while carriers such as Air India, FlyDubai, the...
- Foreign embassies in Riyadh issued immediate security advisories following the Saturday attack.
Operations Halted at Riyadh Airport After Missile Strike
A missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights at King Khalid International Airport on Saturday afternoon, according to regional officials, as cited in the article. The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed that operations were temporarily suspended while safety inspectors and officials assessed the damage and evaluated casualties.
Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed that at least 225 flights were canceled at the Riyadh airport over a 24-hour window, while carriers such as Air India, FlyDubai, the Lufthansa Group, and Pakistan International Airlines suspended routes.
Diplomatic Warnings and International Response
Foreign embassies in Riyadh issued immediate security advisories following the Saturday attack. Canada advised nationals to avoid travel due to ongoing military activity, and Japan strongly condemned the strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Kuwait Airways announced the cancellation of its flights due to the security situation at the airport. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that the United States was evaluating whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthi rebels. We may.
We just found out about the recent attack.
So we’ll make a decision.
We move very quickly.
Escalating Military Conflict in Yemen
The attacks on the Saudi capital occur against the backdrop of an intensified military offensive by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, launched a week prior to back government forces fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Al Jazeera reported that while the Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the Saturday airport strike, the group previously asserted responsibility for Thursday’s ballistic missile launch toward Riyadh and warned aviation companies to stay out of Saudi airspace.
Amid the cross-border strikes, diplomatic channels remained active. It remains unconfirmed whether the United States will intervene militarily alongside the Saudi-led coalition or if additional regional airports will face similar disruptions.