The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has urged American citizens to exercise “extreme caution” at all major airports after a projectile struck a passenger terminal in Riyadh, killing one person and injuring 11 others.
The attack at King Khalid International Airport came a day after a missile hit the same terminal, killing 12 people and injuring more than 300. One American citizen was among those killed in Saturday’s strike, the embassy said.
Saudi authorities identified the latest fatality as a Pakistani national. The domestic terminal complex has been closed since Saturday’s attack, while the airport has been struck four times in five days.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said the terminal had been targeted again on Sunday. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and others, although they had not claimed responsibility for the earlier strike on Riyadh airport when President Donald Trump first commented on it.
Asked whether the United States could join Saudi Arabia’s military action against the Houthis, Mr Trump said: “We may. We’re gonna look at it.” He added: “We just found out about the recent attack [on the airport]. So we’ll make a decision– we move very quickly.”
Mr Trump also left open the possibility that the attack could alter his previously announced decision not to launch potential strikes on Iran until after the US midterm elections. “Well, we’re gonna take a look,” he said.
In its warning, the US embassy said it was aware of additional attacks on King Khalid International Airport and a targeted attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Sunday. It advised US citizens to take “extreme caution” when using airports across Saudi Arabia.
Separately, the US military said it had disabled a Panama-flagged commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman after a fighter jet fired a precision munition at it. US Central Command said the strike disabled the vessel’s propulsion without harming its crew.
The vessel had recently left an Iranian port. Central Command said four commercial vessels had been disabled and 135 ships turned around since a US blockade began on July 14, after a ceasefire between the US and Iran collapsed in July.
