Saudi Arabia says 3 killed in attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid airport

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that three citizens were killed in two attacks Thursday targeting King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh and a Saudia Airlines aircraft.

In a statement on US social media platform X, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said the first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an the aircraft belonging to the national air carrier.

Emergency response teams immediately responded to the attacks that also wounded "a number of citizens and residents of various nationalities," the authority said.

Injuries ranged from minor to severe, and those affected were immediately transported to hospital for treatment, the statement said, adding that the attacks also caused some material damage.

Officials also announced the resumption of operational activities at the airport, and that air traffic had returned to normal.

The state-run Al Ekhbariya TV said flight operations at the airport resumed as of 6 pm local time (1500GMT) on Thursday.

In a separate statement, Saudia Airlines confirmed that the incident "caused damage to one of its aircraft while it was on the ground at the airport," adding that there were no passengers on board at the time of the incident.

The attacks killed one of its employees, the carrier said, extending its "deepest condolences" to the victim's family.

Saudi authorities did not identify those responsible for the attack, but it comes amid resumption of fighting between Yemen government forces and the Houthis.