Houthis fire missiles at Riyadh airport, killing 12 and injuring 309; Trump poised to send troops into the fight
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Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired missiles at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the third time in a week, killing at least 12 people and injuring 309. It is the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than 10 years. Saudi civil aviation authorities said the attack on October 10 killed 12 people immediately: four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one civilian each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Saudi Arabia's threat warning system failed to send an alert before the incident, after two earlier attacks on the same airport killed four people. The Saudi-led coalition announced it would take decisive retaliatory measures, while a Houthi spokesman posted on the X platform declaring success in shutting down Riyadh airport and warning airlines worldwide to avoid Saudi airspace, designating the area a military operations zone. US President Donald Trump said at the White House that the United States is considering the possibility of sending troops to join Saudi Arabia in striking the Houthis, and will speed up a decision on action quickly after receiving the latest attack report. The fallout from the attack forced all airlines to divert flights away from Riyadh and temporarily suspend operations at the main airport serving the capital's population of more than 8 million. Data from the Flightradar24 website showed that all flights heading to Riyadh were cancelled or rerouted, with only military helicopters hovering over the airport.