Riyadh airport strikes claimed by Yemen's Houthi day after deadliest attack in Saudi soil in ten years

Yemen's Houthis say they launched a four-wave attack on Riyadh airport since Saturday. Strikes hit the airport on Sunday, starting a fire, just a day after the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.

A dozen people were killed on Saturday at the airport, instigating a sharp escalation in the Yemen war.

The Iran-backed group threatened to keep targeting Saudi Arabia's transit hubs.

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died on Sunday after being wounded in the attack on the Riyadh airport a day earlier.

"It is learnt that one Indian national injured in the Riyadh attack has unfortunately lost his life today. We convey our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased", the embassy wrote in a statement posted on X.

The sharp escalation in the latest front in the Iran war threatens to draw in greater U.S. military involvement as President Donald Trump has said he is weighing joining the fight against the rebels.

Riyadh’s international airport remained closed on Sunday, a day after an attack killed 12 people. US President Donald Trump said Washington might join Saudi strikes against Yemen’s Houthis.

Asked on Saturday whether Washington would take part, Trump told reporters, “We may. We’re going to look at it.” He did not announce a decision to join the strikes.

He later said Saudi Arabia could defend itself against the Houthis and described the airport attack as “terrible”.

The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for the attack on King Khalid International Airport and vowed a decisive response. Saudi aviation authorities said 309 people were injured, some critically. Four Saudis and eight foreign nationals, including an American citizen, were killed.

The Houthis renewed their warning on Sunday to airlines, airport workers and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the facilities remained vulnerable to attack.

In a separate incident, the coalition said a projectile fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the strike a “dangerous escalation” on Sunday and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.