Riyadh airport closed after deadly Houthi missile strike

• At least 12 dead, more than 300 injured
• Markets fall to three-year low
• Embassies urge essential travel only

Saudi Arabia’s largest airport remains closed after the deadliest attack on the country in more than a decade.

At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 were injured, some in “critical condition”, in a Houthi missile attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, Saudi authorities said.

The airport will not reopen before Monday, according to publicly available flight data.

The attack followed missile strikes by the Yemeni Houthi militia on the airport on Wednesday and Thursday, which killed at least four people.

Saturday’s strike caused Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian death toll since a 2015 suicide bombing in Abha killed 15 people.

Foreign leaders condemned the attack. US president Donald Trump told reporters it “was not acceptable” but did not indicate how the US would respond.

Saudi markets opened on Sunday down 2 percent from the previous close. The All-Shares Index, which tracks the main market, fell to a seven-month low shortly afterwards.

No flights have taken off from or landed at King Khalid Airport in Riyadh since the attack, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.

Foreign embassies reiterated earlier warnings for their citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia, particularly to King Khalid Airport.

After the attacks last week, the Yemeni Houthi militia said it would continue threatening the airport.

On Saturday the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said a “projectile” had fallen near Dammam Airport in eastern Saudi Arabia but offered no further details.

Riyadh is scheduled to host several high-profile events this month, including the Future Investment Initiative, the country’s flagship investment forum. After the attack, the conference told attendees it was still scheduled to go ahead as planned.

Further reading:

• Houthi attacks on airports threaten Saudi recovery
• Attacks trigger cancelled Saudi flights and travel warnings
• Riyadh Air grounds flights after Houthis claim missile attack

Most non-Saudi airlines suspended flights to Riyadh after Thursday’s attack, which killed three people, including a pilot for Saudi flagship carrier Saudia.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and aviation risk analysts warned against flying over Saudi airspace after the attack.

The airport reopened on Thursday evening after that day’s strike, and Saudi airlines resumed flights from Riyadh after telling staff they had assessed the situation.

On Sunday, the Houthis renewed their threats against anyone using Saudi airports or airspace, except in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.