U.S. Officials Condemn Houthi Attack on Saudi Airport
Officials in the United States have denounced the recent Houthi assault on a Saudi airport in Riyadh, which resulted in the deaths of 13 individuals, including an American citizen, and left many others injured.
On Saturday, the King Khalid International Airport was struck in an attack linked to the Houthi militant group from Yemen, as reported by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry.
“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,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Saturday.
The Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that 12 victims included four Saudis, two Bangladeshi nationals, and one each from the U.S., Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. Additionally, 309 others sustained injuries, with some in critical condition.
On Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that an Indian national who was injured in the attack later died, raising the death toll to 13.
The assault continued with further attacks on both King Khalid International Airport and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to civil aviation authorities.
The Regional Four (R4) Group, comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey, expressed strong condemnation of the Houthi assaults, characterizing the strikes on King Khalid International Airport as heinous and resulting in civilian casualties as well as damage to infrastructure.
President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of U.S. military assistance for Saudi Arabia but did not make any concrete commitments. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” he told reporters following inquiries about the U.S. engaging in military action after the recent attack. “We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Later comments at Joint Base Andrews reflected his dismay over the incident, as he replied to a question about U.S. involvement, saying, “I think it’s terrible. You’re going to find out.”
