Riyadh airport attack injures people a day after 12 were killed
Saudi authorities reported injuries after another strike at King Khalid International Airport, which remained closed after Saturday's deadly attack.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
A new Riyadh airport attack injured people on Sunday at King Khalid International Airport, a day after a strike killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, according to Saudi authorities cited by CBS News.
The latest incident hit a passenger-terminal area in the complex containing terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, CBS News reported. The available reporting gives no injury total or damage assessment for the Sunday attack.
The airport had already been closed following Saturday's missile attack. Reuters reported that Saudi aviation authorities suspended operations and diverted all flights from Riyadh on Saturday. Airlines also cancelled services, while several foreign governments advised their citizens to stay away from the airport.
What happened in the latest Riyadh airport attack?
Saudi authorities reported injuries after the strike on the terminal complex, but CBS News did not report who launched the Sunday attack. Yemen's Houthi group said it had carried out at least four operations against the airport since Saturday, a claim that does not independently establish responsibility for each reported strike.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attacks were a response to what he described as Saudi aggression against Yemen and its people, according to CBS News. He also warned that Saudi airports and airspace were vulnerable to targeting, while excluding Mecca and Medina from that warning.
Saturday's attack was the deadliest of the recent strikes. Saudi aviation authorities said the initial death toll was at least 12, and that 309 people were injured, with some in serious condition. The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals and citizens of the United States, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan, CBS News reported.
The eventual toll remains unclear from the available reports. India's embassy in Saudi Arabia said Sunday that an Indian national who had been wounded in Saturday's attack had died. A Reuters related-story headline later referred to 13 deaths, but the supplied report did not provide the underlying official update or confirm a revised total.
The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthis for Saturday's strike, while Reuters and the BBC reported that the group had not claimed that particular attack at the time of their reports. The new violence comes amid an escalation between Saudi-led forces and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said it strongly recommended that American citizens avoid the airport and surrounding area, Reuters reported. CBS News said Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada also issued warnings for their citizens to avoid the airport.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.