12 Killed, More Than 300 Wounded in Houthi Terror Attack on Saudi International Airport

Thick black smoke and flames rise from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 8, 2026. UGC via AP

A Houthi terror attack on a passenger terminal of the Saudi capital’s international airport late Saturday killed 12 and injured more than 300, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday.

The attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh “constitutes a full-fledged war crime according to the Customary International Humanitarian Law,” the Saudi coalition said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly condemned the attack by the Iran-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen.

One American citizen was among the “numerous innocent lives” taken, Rubio said in a statement hours after reports of the missile strike.

The Saudi coalition said in its statement that in addition to the American, the deceased included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, and a Sudanese.

The group said the injured were being treated at several hospitals. Civil aviation authorities said early Sunday that some were in critical condition.

There have been several Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport this past week. The U.S. State Department has warned Americans to exercise caution when travelling in the region.

Shortly after the attack, President Donald Trump was asked if the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” he told reporters. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”

Later, Trump said he planned to speak to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the attack.

“What happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable,” he told reporters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.