Al Arabiya Publishes Footage of the Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport
Al Arabiya has published footage showing the moment of yesterday’s reported Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The attack reportedly killed 12 people and injured 309.
Many of those seen in the attached video appear to be Muslim pilgrims, based on their clothing. The footage shows a terminal hall as the strike hits, with smoke and debris filling the space and people near the check in counters.
What the footage shows
Al Arabiya, the Saudi owned news channel, released the video a day after the attack. The still taken from it shows a hall filling with smoke and debris on the floor, and travellers in white garments standing close to the counters.
The attack on October 10
Saudi aviation authorities said 12 people were killed and 309 injured in the attack on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, October 10, as reported earlier. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended while the damage was assessed.
A week of strikes on Riyadh’s airport
It was the third attack on Riyadh’s airport that week. Earlier Houthi strikes on King Khalid airport killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, according to Saudi aviation authorities. The Houthis said they had shut down the airport and declared Saudi airspace a military zone, saying any aircraft there, except over Mecca and Medina, is a target.
The response
The Saudi led coalition called the attack a full fledged war crime and vowed to respond decisively. Saudi Arabia is already running an air campaign in support of Yemeni government forces fighting the Iran backed Houthis. The United Nations secretary general condemned the attack, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an American was among the dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the attack. President Donald Trump called it terrible and said Washington is weighing whether to join Saudi Arabia’s offensive against the Houthis; that decision is still open.
