Saudi Airport Attack Kills One, Injures Eight as US Orders Diplomats to Leave

Late Wednesday, an incident targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, killing one and injuring eight. According to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority, the event also caused airport property damage, as the US forced certain ambassadors and government officials’ families to leave the country.

The incident raised worries about the security of Saudi Arabia’s transport and other crucial infrastructure. The authorities have yet to identify people responsible for the airport incident or release any information on how it happened.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that aircraft were being diverted away from the airport following the attack. The airport is located on Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf coast, near Bahrain and Qatar.

Saudi Airport Attack Raises Security Concerns

The airport incident comes as Saudi Arabia alleges other strikes and interceptions employing unmanned aerial vehicles. The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting four drone assaults in the kingdom’s eastern area.

Saudi officials have not officially identified a party responsible for the attack on King Fahd International Airport. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have made no comment on the event.

The airport has previously faced attacks during waves of Houthi missile and projectile strikes targeting major Saudi airports. The latest incident adds to a series of security challenges involving the kingdom’s transport and energy facilities.

In a separate incident in south-eastern Saudi Arabia, debris from a drone intercepted by the country’s air defences killed two workers and injured two more at an Aramco-operated oil field, according to the Energy Ministry.

The two victims slain were Nepalese and Philippine nationalities. The injured were from Pakistan and India, according to the government.

Saudi Arabia also reported a previous fire at an administration building at an Aramco site in the eastern province. According to the Energy Ministry, a minor fire broke out as a result of an assault earlier this month.

Saudi Airport Attack Followed by US Diplomat Order

The United States ordered some of its ambassadors and US government employees’ families to leave Saudi Arabia late Wednesday. The decision followed a string of deadly strikes blamed on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, raising fears that the conflict will worsen.

The departure order came after the airport attack and other occurrences heightened concerns about the security of major institutions around the country. Oil sites, airports, and shipping routes have all been targeted by assaults described in the larger series of strikes.

Last month, debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni citizen in Saudi Arabia. It was the first recorded civilian casualty in the country since the insurgents escalated their strikes on Saudi ships and oil sites.

The new airport incident has increased the number of reported injuries in Saudi Arabia as a result of strikes and intercepted missiles. Officials have not revealed who carried out the strike on King Fahd International Airport.