12 killed, over 300 hurt in attack at Saudi airport, officials say

A deadly attack at the international airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital that claimed 12 lives, including one American, and injured hundreds more is being blamed on Iran-backed Houthi rebels from the neighboring country of Yemen.  It is the deadliest attack on a Gulf Arab nation since the start of the Iran war in February.

Big picture view:

The early Sunday morning attack at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport is one of several that have occurred there this week. A regional official who was not authorized to speak to the media told the Associated Press anonymously that a missile had struck between two of the domestic terminals at the airport. 

By the numbers:

Of the 12 people who were killed, four were Saudi citizens and two were Bangladeshi nationals, according to a government statement. Among the others who died were a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Palestinian, a Sudanese individual, and a Syrian. Over 300 people were reported to have been injured, some critically, and were being treated at multiple area hospitals.

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What's next:

Saudi Arabia is expected to push allies, including the United States, for greater military support in light of the recent attacks. President Donald Trump indicated Saturday that he was still deciding if the U.S. would join any Saudi response. 

What they're saying:

"We may. We’re going to look at it," he said. "We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly."

Dig deeper:

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis described the attack at the airport, which has no military facilities, as a "fully-fledged war crime" and vowed to respond. The Houthi rebels did not release an immediate statement about the strike, but had earlier accused Saudi forces of an attack at Sanaa International Airport.

WorldNews