RIYADH — A projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, sparking a fire and injuring people, Saudi authorities said, in the second attack on the airport in as many days after Saturday’s missile strike killed 12 people and wounded 309.
FAKTA: Riyadh airport second attack
- What happened: An unidentified projectile hit Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, igniting a fire in the passenger hall, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
- Casualties: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed injuries from Sunday’s strike; a damage assessment is underway. No Sunday death toll was immediately announced.
- Interception: Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said air defences intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile near the airport.
- Saturday’s attack: GACA said 12 people were killed and 309 wounded in Saturday’s missile strike on the same airport — the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
- Who claims it: Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed responsibility, saying it carried out four operations in 24 hours with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against Saudi airports and energy facilities.
- Status: The airport remained closed on Sunday; flights had already been suspended after Saturday’s attack.
Fire at Terminal 4, injuries confirmed
The Saudi-led coalition said the projectile hit the passenger terminal on Sunday and triggered a fire that emergency teams were responding to. GACA confirmed the assault resulted in injuries and said assessments of the damage were being carried out with the coordination of specialised authorities.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said Saudi air defences had intercepted a cruise missile in the vicinity of the airport. Details on the full impact of the strike were still limited on Sunday night.
Riyadh airport second attack follows deadliest strike in a decade
The Sunday strike came just a day after a devastating missile attack on the same airport killed 12 people and wounded 309, some critically. Saudi officials said Saturday’s strike hit Terminals 3 and 4 directly, damaging the buildings and causing parts of a terminal roof to collapse onto people inside. Emergency crews moved the wounded to hospitals across Riyadh, and arriving flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted.
The attack has been described as the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab nation since the regional war that began in February 2026. Airport operations had already been suspended following Saturday’s strike, causing widespread disruption to flights serving Riyadh.
Houthis claim wider campaign across Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes. Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group had carried out four operations in the previous 24 hours using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, targeting Riyadh’s airport as well as King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and the Shugadam gas facility and Tanajib oil refinery associated with Saudi Aramco in the Eastern Province.
The Houthis renewed warnings to airlines, aviation workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, declaring them an active theatre of operations — while exempting airports serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The group said it was targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen’s civil war and an air strike on the airport in Sanaa.
India condemned the attack. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said three Indian nationals were in intensive care in stable condition, and that one Indian national who had been injured in Saturday’s attack died on Sunday.
Escalation in Saudi–Houthi conflict
The latest attack follows a series of strikes targeting Saudi aviation infrastructure in recent days, including earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport. Earlier in the week, Houthi attacks on the airport killed three Saudis, including a pilot, and a Sudanese national, and the civilian facility has been targeted almost daily since at least Wednesday.
The Saudi-led coalition has pledged to respond to attacks on civilian facilities. US President Donald Trump has indicated rapid decision-making regarding potential US military action against the Houthis. For more on the crisis, see Watan News Middle East coverage.
