One killed and 11 injured in latest projectile strike on Riyadh airport

A projectile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, killing one person and injuring 11, according to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority. The strike hit terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, and prompted immediate damage assessments and safety inspections. The airport has now been hit four times in five days, underscoring the repeated targeting of a major aviation hub.

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The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the person who died was a Pakistani resident. It said the injured were taken to several hospitals for treatment. A witness on board a taxiing aircraft said the projectile landed near parked planes at about 8:30pm local time, causing a fire and forcing the aircraft to return to the gate, where passengers disembarked.

The latest strike came a day after a missile attack on the airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, according to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. India's embassy in Saudi Arabia said one of its citizens died on Sunday from injuries sustained in Saturday's attack, which would bring the overall toll from that earlier strike to 13. GACA said the airport had been closed since Saturday's attack.

The repeated attacks on King Khalid International Airport carry significance beyond the immediate casualties. Riyadh's main airport is a critical piece of civilian infrastructure, and disruption there affects domestic travel, public confidence and emergency response planning. The strikes also come amid wider regional tensions linked to the war in Yemen, where Houthi attacks on Saudi territory have repeatedly raised the risk of escalation.

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The airport has been struck repeatedly in a short period, including attacks on Thursday that killed at least three Saudi citizens, among them a pilot, according to GACA. The Sunday strike was claimed by the Houthis before the latest casualty figures were released. The pattern of attacks has also raised concern about possible spillover effects on global oil supplies and commercial shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key route off Yemen's coast.

What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage at the airport and when normal operations may resume. It is also not yet clear whether the latest strike will trigger any new military or diplomatic response. For now, officials are continuing inspections and assessments while the airport remains under heightened scrutiny.

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