Saudi-led coalition brands Riyadh airport attack a war crime as death toll hits 12

UPDATE - follow-up to World News Today Live Updates: 12 killed in attack on Riyadh airport, over 300 injured, Saudi authorities say: The Saudi-led coalition has formally classified the recent airport strike as a full-blown war crime.

Coalition Response

Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the coalition forces, stated that the Houthi militia attack on a passenger terminal at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport is a terrorist act that will face a firm military response. The coalition confirmed that 12 people died and 309 others were hurt, with some victims in critical condition. Casualties include four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen each from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly condemned the attacks and confirmed the death of the American citizen.

Wider Impact

Operations at the airport remain suspended while damage is assessed, and several Gulf airlines have cancelled their flights. Meanwhile, a projectile also fell near the international airport in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia. In the Gulf of Oman, the US military used a precision munition from a fighter jet to disable a Panama-flagged cargo vessel named M/V Ocean Molica after its crew ignored warnings to run a naval blockade against Iran.

Context

Regional tensions have escalated sharply due to the ongoing civil war in Yemen and wider confrontations involving Iran-backed groups. Major international shipping lanes and aviation hubs in the Gulf have increasingly become targets in these wider hostilities.