Riyadh airport closes after missile strike kills 12

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has halted flights after a Houthi ballistic missile hit Terminal 3 on Saturday, leaving 12 civilians dead and 309 wounded. Saudi aviation authorities reported damage inside the terminal and said several patients were critically hurt. An American was among those killed, alongside people from Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Sudan.

The assault followed several days of threats and strikes against Saudi aviation. The Houthis warned on October 5 that the kingdom’s airports and airspace would become targets. Abha airport was hit on October 6 and October 7, while an earlier Riyadh strike caused additional casualties. Two attacks on October 8 damaged a building and a parked Saudia Airbus A320-series aircraft. Local operators continued serving Riyadh temporarily, but several overseas carriers had already withdrawn.

Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Flydubai were among the regional airlines that paused service because of security concerns. Flight-tracking data placed the final commercial arrival at 2:05 pm on October 10. The last outbound flight left at 1:39 pm. Travel guidance from the US, UK, France and Canada tells nationals to stay away from King Khalid. A Saturday revision to the US advisory cited continuing missile and drone danger involving Iran-supported Houthis and American interests.