King Khalid International Airport faced another assault on Sunday afternoon, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation reported, adding to a string of strikes on the capital’s main transport hub that have caused casualties and disrupted flights for several days.
Officials confirmed that the Sunday attack injured people and that damage assessments were now underway alongside emergency responders. Maj. Gen. Turki Al‑Maliki, the Saudi‑led coalition’s spokesperson in Yemen, posted that an “unknown projectile” struck Passenger Hall No. 4 within the airport complex.
“A fire resulting from the attack is being directly handled by the competent authorities at the site,” Al‑Maliki said.
Later, Al‑Maliki added that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and “destroyed a loitering (cruise) missile in the vicinity of King Khalid International Airport.”
Sunday’s strike came right after a devastating barrage on Saturday that killed 12 people and wounded at least 300, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed in Saturday’s assault. Iran‑backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the weekend operation.
The airport first descended into chaos on Saturday when incoming fire forced security teams to evacuate the terminals and suspend both inbound and outbound flights, two regional officials,who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press,told reporters.
Airport authorities issued a brief advisory urging passengers to verify flight status with their airlines before heading to the terminal. Across the city, residents felt the shockwaves.
“I heard at least two loud explosions that rocked the capital,” Riyadh resident Ahmed Sayed told The Associated Press.
The airfield had already been reeling from earlier strikes that week, including a Thursday attack that killed three Saudi citizens, among them a pilot, and a Wednesday strike that left a Sudanese national dead and eight others wounded.
These escalations follow a major military offensive launched by the Saudi‑led coalition against Houthi forces in neighboring Yemen. Fighting between the rebels and Saudi‑backed Yemeni government troops has intensified sharply, with coalition jets providing air support to push back recent Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast.
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