Iran-backed Houthi forces struck Saudi Arabian airports in a wave of attacks through Sunday, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 300, according to reports. One of the dead was an American.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. U.S. officials blamed the group for Saturday’s attack there, which reportedly killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said a separate strike killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 more. An airport in Dammam, in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, was also reportedly targeted.
The Houthis issued fresh warnings Sunday telling airlines, airport workers and travelers to stay away from Saudi airports. Saudi Arabia has vowed to retaliate.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Saturday’s attack, confirmed an American was among the dead, and called for an immediate end to the violence. President Trump left open the possibility of U.S. military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s response to the Houthis.
“We may. We’re gonna look at it. We move very quickly,” Trump said.
The attacks come weeks after Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, threatened on Sept. 23 that Iran would shut down neighboring countries’ airports if those countries cooperated with Washington’s effort to restrict Iranian flights, according to Reuters. The threat followed U.S. sanctions imposed in September on Iran’s aviation sector as part of the maximum pressure campaign.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the airport strikes fit a deliberate pattern.
“Cross-domain escalation by Iran and its proxies will continue to be a primary strategy,” Taleblu told Fox News Digital. “The emphasis on aviation targets connects directly to the closing of Iran’s aviation sector and sanctions imposed on its commercial airlines under the U.S. maximum pressure campaign.”
“This rapid targeting reflects earlier threats made by Iranian officials, including a veiled threat from the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warning that U.S. sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector would lead to retaliatory threats against neighboring aviation infrastructure,” Taleblu said.
Iran has long backed the Houthis, though the extent of Tehran’s direct involvement in these specific airport attacks has not been independently established. The strikes have also renewed scrutiny of reports that Russia has provided intelligence and technical assistance to the group. At a Sept. 1 House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing, lawmakers questioned experts about allegations that Russia is supplying intelligence and technical support to the Houthis, including “persistent reports of Russian satellite collaboration, advisory support, and intelligence targeting assistance, as well as unproven allegations regarding select anti-ship systems.”
Taleblu tied the escalation to the Houthis’ broader military gains inside Yemen.
“This surge did not occur in a vacuum,” Taleblu said. “Since April, the Houthis have made territorial gains and pushed back against Saudi forces despite a period of diplomatic lull. Airport attacks allow Iran and its regional proxies to inflict pain on Arab states, Israel, and remaining U.S. forces.”
