Fresh Houthi Strikes on Riyadh & Dammam Airports: 1 Dead, 11 Injured
In a dangerous escalation of cross-border aerial warfare, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia unleashed another wave of missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia's primary civilian aviation hubs, targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Sunday. The fresh assault struck Terminal 4 at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport with an unidentified incoming projectile, igniting a massive blaze across the terminal infrastructure that left one person dead and eleven others wounded. Saudi-led coalition military authorities confirmed that while one projectile penetrated the airport perimeter, regional air defense units successfully intercepted an incoming cruise missile on approach toward Riyadh, neutralized an attack drone over the Eastern Province, and destroyed a ballistic missile aimed at the southern garrison city of Khamis Mushait, preventing even higher civilian casualties across the Kingdom.
Runway Drama in Dammam: Missile Lands Near Parked Aircraft as Flights Abort Takeoff
Simultaneously, the offensive widened late Sunday night as hostile projectiles targeted Dammam airport, prompting immediate emergency security evaluations by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). According to eyewitness accounts from passengers aboard a commercial aircraft parked on the Dammam airport apron, a missile impacted in close proximity to stationed airliners at approximately 8:30 PM local time, instantly sparking a fire on the tarmac. Flight crews on taxiing aircraft immediately aborted takeoffs and maneuvered back to terminal gates to execute safe emergency passenger evacuations, while airport firefighting squads moved rapidly to contain the flames and secure the taxiways, marking a terrifying expansion of aerial targeting into the oil-rich Eastern Province.
Toll Climbs to 18: Indian Expat Among Victims as Aviation Infrastructure Faces Relentless Threat
Sunday's coordinated bombardments follow on the heels of Saturday’s catastrophic strike on Riyadh airport, which claimed 13 lives and wounded more than 300 people, pushing the combined death toll from airport assaults this week to 18. Among the fatalities confirmed from Saturday's devastation—which killed four Saudi citizens alongside several expatriate workers—was 46-year-old Indian national Mohammed Yusuf. The recurrent, multi-vector strikes targeting commercial passenger terminals, hangars, and active runways underscore the acute vulnerability of regional civil aviation corridors, amplifying pressure on international airlines and Gulf defense commands as the Houthi militia repeatedly tests layered air defense systems across Saudi airspace.
