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Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended the closure of the country’s main international airport, according to an online flight tracker, a day after a missile attack on the facility killed 12 people from several countries and left more than 300 injured in a major escalation of the war between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and the kingdom.
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attack → log → Houthis
A Saudi-led coalition blamed Saturday afternoon's attack on the Houthis.
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coalition → lead → Houthis
It was the latest of several in the past week on King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh and marked the deadliest attack in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war.
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It → mark → war
Following the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he was weighing whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the rebels.
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States → follow → rebels
Airport operations were suspended Saturday.
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operations → suspend → ?
Authorities later extended the closure until at least 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Flightradar 24.
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Authorities → extend → Flightradar
Also Sunday, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said 91 Yemenis were killed and 168 injured by the Saudi-led coalition in five weeks.
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168 → run → weeks
It said 60% of those killed were women and children.
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% → say → those
Mix of nationalities killed at Saudi airport
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Mix → kill → airport
The attack struck an airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.
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they → strike → media
The Saudi statement said the dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese.
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dead → say → citizens
It said the injured were being treated at several hospitals.
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injured → say → hospitals
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged in a social media post that an American citizen had been killed in the attack, which he condemned.
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he → acknowledge → which
The Egyptian man was a flight attendant identified as Azza Ramzy, 28, working for a Saudi airliner Flybas, according to the Egyptian state-run Al-Qahera New television.
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man → identify → television
Trump said he would consider joining strikes against rebels
The attack is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies including the United States to provide military support for the kingdom, which has seemingly tried to avoid all-out war with the Houthis.
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which → say → Houthis
Shortly after the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the rebels.
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U.S. → say → rebels
We’re going to look at it,” he said.
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he → go → it
“We just found out about the recent attack.
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We → find → attack
So we’ll make a decision.
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we → make → decision
We move very quickly.”
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We → move → ?
Trump later Saturday said he planned to speak to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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he → say → Salman
Asked if the U.S. might get involved, Trump responded, “We’ll find out.”
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We → ask → ?
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis blamed them for the attack, calling it a “fully-fledged war crime” and vowing a firm response.
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coalition → lead → response
The airport has no military facilities.
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airport → have → facilities
There was no immediate statement from the rebels, who earlier Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.
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who → be → capital
The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot.
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that → claim → pilot
The surge in attacks, including against other Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure, has come in the week since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against the Houthis.
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coalition → include → Houthis
For Iran, the fighting puts pressure on a key US ally
The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region.
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attacks → put → markets
Now the rebels are a way for Tehran to apply pressure on a key U.S. ally.
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Tehran → apply → ally
The Saudis and the Houthis began fighting in 2015 when the kingdom entered Yemen’s civil war on behalf of the internationally recognized government.
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kingdom → begin → government
Relative calm after a 2022 ceasefire ended in July when the Houthis resumed attacks, saying the Saudis fired on the Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was trying to land.
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plane → end → Iran
That revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-run areas.
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that → revive → areas
Now fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea.
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coalition → escalate → Sea
Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.
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Iran → give → ships
Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support to the region, regional officials told the AP last month, with one noting that the U.S. has seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran.
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stock → run → Iran
The Houthis this week warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.
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they → warn → operations
Before the latest attack, Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among airlines suspending flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods.
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India → suspend → periods
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Anna reported from Jerusalem.
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Anna → report → Jerusalem
Associated Press writers Victoria Eastwood in Cairo, Collin Binkley in Washington and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.
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Eastwood → contribute → report
The Aporia
