An attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured 309 on Saturday, Saudi authorities said — the deadliest incident yet in the kingdom's intensifying conflict with Yemen's Houthi militants. Some of the injured remain in critical condition.

Saudi civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended airport operations while they assessed the damage. One of the dead was an American, according to Saudi Arabia. Kuwait's national carrier was among airlines that canceled flights.

What did the disruption look like on the day?

Flightradar24 data recorded 260 flight cancellations to and from Riyadh on Saturday, plus 219 delays. King Khalid International Airport told passengers to contact airlines directly and confirm flight status before traveling to the terminal.

The U.S. warned its citizens to avoid the airport. The U.K. called the incident "serious."

Is this part of a wider pattern?

Yes. The strike follows a rapid sequence of Houthi attacks on Saudi aviation infrastructure this week:

• Thursday: three Saudi nationals killed at Riyadh airport; a Saudia aircraft damaged
• Earlier in the week: one person killed at the capital's main airport
• Two killed at Abha airport in a separate strike

The Iran-backed Houthi group claimed responsibility for those earlier attacks. Saturday's assault marks a sharp escalation in scale — nearly four times the death toll of all prior incidents combined.

What are the political consequences?

President Donald Trump said he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "What happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable," Trump told reporters Saturday evening on his return to Washington from a political rally.

Asked whether the U.S. would join the Saudi attacks on Houthi rebels, Trump responded: "We may. We're going to look at it." Until now, the Trump administration has been reluctant to deepen American involvement in the Saudi offensive.

What is happening on the ground in Yemen?

The Houthis face a ground offensive from a Saudi-led coalition that began on Sunday. Soldiers from the internationally recognized Yemeni government, supported by the Saudi air force, are fighting to retake territory the militants captured over the past month near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The coalition says it has gained ground, including the Red Sea port city of Mokha. It has declared its aim to "eliminate" the Houthis, who control territory home to roughly 70% of Yemen's population, including the capital, Sanaa.

With Riyadh's principal gateway now a repeated target and casualty figures climbing, airlines and regulators will weigh further network adjustments across the kingdom as the campaign progresses.