Houthi Missile Hits Riyadh Airport Terminal, Wounding Multiple and Halting Flights

A missile struck Terminal 3 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, wounding several people and forcing officials to shut down the airport.

The terminal took a direct hit, according to The Wall Street Journal. It was evacuated. Saudi officials said several people were hurt. Ambulances and helicopters took the wounded to King Fahad hospital in Riyadh. Residents nearby heard loud bangs and saw smoke over the airport.

Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority confirmed the attack and said all airport operations were suspended while damage is assessed. Flight tracking site Flightradar24 showed arrivals canceled or diverted across the board Saturday afternoon. One passenger told the Journal his flight to Riyadh was diverted to Dammam, and he took a taxi back to the capital.

The Wall Street Journal attributed the strike to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants. CNN reported that no group had immediately claimed responsibility. Saudi officials did not immediately name who was behind the attack.

It is the third attack on the airport this week. A strike on Thursday killed three people, including a pilot for flag carrier Saudia, and destroyed a passenger jet. The long conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis flared back into open war over the summer, and the Houthis said this week that Saudi airspace is now part of the battlefield.

President Trump was asked outside the White House on Saturday whether the United States would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis. "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly," he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said it was aware of the attacks and urged American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas. Canada, Germany and Ireland also warned their citizens to avoid the airport, and the British and Irish embassies described the situation as a "serious incident."