Two killed in drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Dammam airport
A Saudi citizen and an Indian resident died in the attack on King Fahd International Airport, with eight injured including nationals from multiple countries.
At a glance
- Two people killed and eight injured in attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening.
- The victims were a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident; the injured included nationals from multiple countries.
- The Houthis have killed at least 21 people in attacks on Saudi airports since October, including 13 in a Riyadh airport strike.
Two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening, the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed.
The victims were identified as a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, while the injured included Saudi, Indian, Yemeni, Bangladeshi and Nepalese nationals. GACA did not specify the type of attack, but Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted Saudi airports with drones and missiles.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, two people died from debris after a drone was intercepted over Eastern Province, where Dammam is located. The Saudi energy ministry said the drone was intercepted as it attempted to target an Aramco processing facility in the Shaybeh oil field, where a contractor's vehicle was set ablaze. The deceased were residents from the Philippines and Nepal.
The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting four additional drones on Wednesday night. No immediate comment was made by the Houthis, though they have previously stated they are attacking Saudi airports, energy facilities and military bases in retaliation for Saudi air strikes on territory they control in western Yemen.
Saudi authorities report at least 21 people have been killed in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since the start of October, including 13 people killed and 308 injured in a missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on 10 October - the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in over a decade.
The broader conflict in Yemen has intensified since a four-year informal ceasefire began unraveling in July, when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and escalated missile and drone attacks. The war, which began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the internationally-recognized government from Sanaa, has killed at least 1,574 people according to Yemen's government health ministry, with over 256,000 people displaced according to the UN.
Questions and answers
- What happened at Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia?
- Two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday evening. The victims were a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident.
- Who is responsible for the attack on Dammam airport?
- While GACA did not specify the type of attack, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted Saudi airports with drones and missiles. No immediate comment was made by the Houthis.
- How many people have been killed in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since October?
- Saudi authorities report at least 21 people have been killed in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since the start of October, including 13 killed and 308 injured in a missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on 10 October.
