Saudi authorities confirm 12 dead and more than 300 injured after the attack on Riyadh Airport

An attack on the international airport in Riyadh left 12 people dead and more than 300 injured on Saturday, according to Saudi authorities and diplomatic and medical sources. The victims include citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Sudan. Some of the injured are in critical condition.

The attack is the third to take place at the airport this week, and the authorities did not immediately announce who was responsible. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group, however, claimed responsibility for the previous attacks, which left four people dead and severely damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft.

Airport operations were temporarily suspended, and flights were canceled or diverted. Several Western embassies advised their citizens to avoid the airport and nearby areas. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing injured people in the terminal, while medical teams responded with ambulances and helicopters.

The attacks are taking place against the backdrop of the Saudi offensive against the Houthi group in Yemen and ahead of important summits scheduled to be held in Riyadh.