Fire erupts at Riyadh airport after projectile strike: Saudi-led coalition

A fire broke out at Terminal 4 of King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday after it was struck by an unidentified projectile, the Saudi-led coalition said.

In a statement, the coalition said relevant authorities were responding to the fire, without providing details on the extent of the damage or whether there were casualties.

In a subsequent statement, the coalition announced that air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile near the airport.

It did not clarify whether the intercepted missile was linked to the projectile that struck the terminal or identify who was responsible for the attack.

The incident came a day after an attack on the same airport killed 12 people and injured 309, according to figures announced by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation overnight Saturday into Sunday.

The authority announced Saturday that operations at the airport were temporarily suspended pending the completion of damage assessments and safety checks on its facilities, in coordination with relevant authorities.

King Khalid International Airport also came under two attacks Thursday, Oct. 8, one targeting its facilities and the other a Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft.

The aviation authority said Friday that those attacks killed three Saudi citizens and injured several citizens and residents of different nationalities, while also causing material damage.

Earlier attacks targeted Abha and King Khalid international airports on Oct. 6 and 7, killing three residents of Moroccan, Algerian and Sudanese nationality and injuring 36 people, according to Saudi authorities.

The latest incident brings the number of attacks on King Khalid International Airport since Tuesday to five within a week, according to an Anadolu tally of official Saudi statements.

Saudi authorities have not identified those responsible for the attacks, although the Houthi group announced Thursday that it had targeted King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile.