One Person Killed and 8 Injured in Airport Attack in Saudi Arabia

At least one person was killed and eight others were wounded in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, the country’s civil aviation authority said. Several of the injured are in serious condition.

In a statement on Wednesday (October 21), the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) gave the casualty figures and said all the wounded had been taken to hospital.

Saudi officials have not yet said what kind of attack hit the airport or who was behind it. Authorities are assessing whether the airport’s infrastructure was damaged.

On the same day, another attack was attempted on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure. According to the Energy Ministry, air defences intercepted a drone heading for the Shaybah oil field, operated by Saudi Aramco. Falling debris killed two people and injured two more.

Attacks on airports and other key installations have become more frequent in recent weeks. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was hit on October 10 in a strike that killed 13 people and injured 309, according to GACA. The violence comes amid fighting between Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition. No party has been confirmed as claiming responsibility for the latest Dammam attack.

The deteriorating security situation is also hitting air travel. International media reported that some flights were redirected to other airports after the Dammam attack. The repeated strikes on civilian and energy facilities have deepened concern over regional security.