CCTV captures Riyadh airport strike, pilgrims flee as blast rips through terminal

Saudi state television released CCTV footage showing travellers fleeing after a missile struck Riyadh airport. The attack, claimed by the Houthis, deepened security fears as regional tensions escalated.

In Short

• CCTV shows moments before and after missile struck Riyadh airport
• Bright orange flash erupts as blast rips through terminal, roof caves in
• Attack kills 13, including man from Hyderabad, injures over 380

Travellers, including pilgrims bound for Islam’s two holiest sites, were sent scrambling in panic after a missile struck Riyadh airport. CCTV footage released by Saudi state television captured the chaos following the attack.

The footage is a compilation of visuals from several areas of the King Khalid International Airport just moments before the missile struck the premises on Saturday.

As travellers are seen waiting to board their flights, a bright orange flash erupts, sending scores of people scrambling for their lives. The footage also shows parts of the roof appearing to cave in.

The attack killed at least 13 people, including a man from Hyderabad who was on his way to Medina with his family, and injured more than 380 others.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, with the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree saying that they also targeted Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The violence continued on Sunday, when another attack targeted the Riyadh airport again.

Saudi authorities reported one death and 11 injuries after an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4, causing a fire, according to the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen and the Saudi civil aviation authority.

Saudi air defences also intercepted a drone over the Eastern Province and a ballistic missile fired towards Khamis Mushait.

Emergency alerts were issued in Abha in the early hours of Monday, but the danger had passed, the Saudi Civil Defense said.

The latest attacks brought the death toll from strikes on Riyadh’s airport to 18 for the week.

The Houthis had earlier renewed their warning against the use of Saudi airports, urging people to take their warnings seriously and holding Saudi Arabia responsible for any failed interceptions.

Amid the escalating threat, Britain’s embassy in Saudi Arabia advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and airports across the kingdom, except Medina airport. US aviation authorities also issued a notice urging American airlines to exercise caution while flying to or over Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities separately announced that in-person classes at schools in Riyadh would shift to remote learning from Sunday until Thursday.

The latest attacks come as Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military involvement in Yemen, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a government counteroffensive after the rebels seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.

The Houthis said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 124 air strikes in Yemen over the preceding 24 hours. Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry warned that further escalation could follow unless Riyadh halted its military action and interference in the country.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. The conflict has spilled over from the wider war involving Iran, which the United States and Israel launched in February.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a Telegram post that he had told his Saudi counterpart that Tehran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

- Ends