A missile attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck Riyadh’s international airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, reportedly wounding dozens of people and causing panic within the terminal. The incident has prompted US President Donald Trump to announce he is evaluating whether the United States should join Saudi strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
“We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump told reporters. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
While Saudi authorities did not officially confirm a new attack or evacuation, eyewitnesses at the airport described a chaotic scene. One witness, waiting to board a flight at gate 403 in the domestic terminal, recounted hearing an explosion and seeing gate 401 hit, with injured individuals visible. “Everyone was running,” the witness told Agence France-Presse. Another witness also reported seeing a strike that left people wounded.
A source at a local hospital confirmed that five people were in intensive care following injuries sustained at the airport, with “dozens” more also wounded. A relative of one injured person stated they were hit in the shoulders and arms by shattered glass and subsequently hospitalized. Witnesses also reported that people were being evacuated from the airport.
This latest incident marks an escalation in missile strikes by the Iran-aligned Houthis on the kingdom. Riyadh’s airport has already been targeted twice earlier this week, attacks that resulted in four fatalities, other injuries, and significant damage to an aircraft. The Houthis have consistently launched attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers since a truce in their prolonged conflict with Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government collapsed in July.
The Houthi rebels, who seized control of the Bab al-Mandab strait two weeks ago and declared that no Saudi-linked commercial traffic would be permitted through the narrow waterway, are waging a war aimed at removing Saudi influence from Yemen. Missile attacks on Riyadh are part of this objective.
The Saturday attack occurred amidst conflicting reports regarding a counteroffensive by forces allied to the UN-recognized government in Yemen to retake the Bab al-Mandab strait from Houthi control. A Houthi spokesperson claimed that Saudi-backed government forces based in Aden were hit by a large number of ballistic missiles, artillery, and heavy weapons, leading to the destruction of over 22 armored vehicles and the killing and wounding of dozens, including commanders. The spokesperson added that more than 30 ambulances arrived in Aden to transport casualties.
Conversely, Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, declared a victory, stating, “Blessed Friday and victory for every Yemeni and Arab. Bab al-Mandab has been cleared of the remnants of the Houthi terrorist militia.” Aidarous al-Zubaidi, president of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a key political force in southern Yemen, also claimed the recapture of Perim Island (also known as Mayyun Island) and the adjacent coastal area from Houthi hands. Perim Island, spanning 5 sq miles (13 sq km), strategically straddles the strait, serving as a lookout point for Red Sea traffic entering the Gulf of Aden and heading towards the Indian Ocean.
However, Waddah al-Dabish, an official military spokesperson for the UN-recognized government forces, qualified the claim, stating that only half of the area had been recaptured. He reported that newly established Houthi defensive lines on the land next to the strait had been broken, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Houthi fighters. It is estimated that as many as 500 Houthi fighters are stationed on the island, and Saudi Arabia is reportedly eager to announce the strait’s reclamation to demonstrate progress in the land counteroffensive launched at the beginning of the week. Previous reports of military breakthroughs by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government have proven premature.
In a related development, Hans Grundberg, the United Nations’ special envoy to Yemen, informed the UN Security Council in New York that Yemen, the world’s poorest country, had relapsed into full-scale war, warning that women and children would be the primary victims.
