Saudi authorities blame Houthi militants for Dammam airport attack

U.S. orders nonemergency government employees and family members to leave Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said an attack on Wednesday hit the international airport in the eastern city of Dammam, killing one person and injuring eight others. Saudi authorities described the target as a civilian airport and blamed Iran-backed Houthi militants, though the Houthis did not appear to have immediately claimed responsibility. Dammam is an oil-producing area near Bahrain that is home to thousands of foreign workers in the oil industry.

Separately, Saudi Arabia’s military said it intercepted and destroyed four drones in the eastern part of the country, in addition to the airport attack.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said it ordered the departure of nonemergency U.S. government employees and their family members from Saudi Arabia in response to increased hostilities against Saudi Arabia by the Houthis. The department cited attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that have resulted in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions. A senior administration official warned that the hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly, including beyond the immediate area.

The Dammam incident followed what The Wall Street Journal described as the deadliest series of attacks on Saudi Arabia in a decade, which occurred earlier in October. On Oct. 10, Houthi missile strikes hit the country’s key international airport in Riyadh, killing at least 12 people and injuring hundreds.

The Houthis have also threatened Red Sea shipping around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen and attacked Saudi oil pipelines. The Wall Street Journal said, “The incidents have shaken Saudi Arabia and illustrated the ability of the Houthis to strike deep inside the country.”

The Dammam attack came nearly eight months after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal. The outlet described the Yemen-based Houthi movement, which shares some ideology with Tehran, as becoming an “increasingly worrying dimension” of Middle East hostilities.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Iran has long supplied Yemen’s Houthis with weapons and shares certain ideology with the group, including opposition to the regional influence of Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel. The outlet reported that President Trump has “stepped up threatening language aimed at Tehran.” Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3.

The Dammam strike extended the same pattern of attacks on Saudi civilian airports after the Oct. 10 Houthi strike on Riyadh’s international airport.