US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday condemned the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, which killed 12 people, including an American national, and injured 309 others.
In a post on X, Rubio said, “The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the terrorist Houthis, including today’s strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that took numerous innocent lives, including an American citizen.”
“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now. We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families,” he added.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the Saturday attack resulted in 12 fatalities, including four Saudi citizens and residents from Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
A further 309 people were injured, some of them critically, and are receiving medical treatment at several hospitals. The attack also caused property damage, the extent of which is being assessed, GACA said in an update on Sunday.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law and calling for the assaults to cease immediately.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi group. Earlier attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7 had left three people dead and 36 injured, according to GACA.
