Saudi Aviation Body Reports One Killed in Dammam Airport Attack
Saudi Civil Aviation Authority says one person was killed and eight injured in an attack on Dammam’s King Fahd airport as the US orders non-essential staff out.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said early on Thursday that one person was killed and eight others were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the east of the kingdom, late on Wednesday.
The announcement came as the US State Department ordered the departure of “non-essential US government employees and family members in Saudi Arabia only,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a post on X.
He cited attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi group on civilian targets in the kingdom, including civilian airports and other critical infrastructure. According to the post, the attacks caused civilian injuries and severe disruption to air travel.
US officials told Reuters that the State Department had ordered some diplomats and their family members to leave US missions in Saudi Arabia.
They said it also plans to remove family members of staff from several other US missions in the Gulf.
The developments come amid continued attacks on airports and oil facilities in the kingdom by the Houthis, a group backed by Iran.
Separately, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, the official spokesperson for the coalition forces known as the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said four drones were intercepted and destroyed in the kingdom’s eastern region.
Earlier, the US embassy in Saudi Arabia issued warnings that included restrictions on US government employees working in the kingdom.
Under the restrictions, they must obtain special permission from the chief of mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia.
The embassy said operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remain suspended. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are operating,
with some delays and cancellations. Smoke and flames were seen rising from the Riyadh airport on Oct. 8, 2026, after the Houthis announced they had targeted it.
The embassy said the Houthis have carried out hostile acts against the kingdom, including attacks on civilian airports and vital infrastructure, which caused civilian casualties and travel disruption.
It pointed to the possibility of rapid escalation extending beyond the immediate region.
The embassy told US citizens to exercise the utmost caution and to check directly with airlines and airports about the status of their flights.