Yemen’s Houthi movement launched missile and drone strikes hitting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 and 11, 2026. The attacks killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, marking the deadliest assault on Saudi soil in more than a decade and disrupting civil aviation across the kingdom.
The escalation follows the breakdown of a United Nations-brokered ceasefire that had largely held since 2022. Fighting resumed in July as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces launched a major counteroffensive to push back the Houthis along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, targeting airfields in Houthi-controlled territory.
Missiles Strike Riyadh Airport and Casualties Mount
The multi-day bombardment struck the departure concourse of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 320.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group targeted the airport in three stages
beginning Friday evening, closing it completely and warning that Saudi airports were unsafe except for those serving Mecca and Medina, as reported by Middle East Eye. A subsequent attack on Sunday killed another person and injured nearly a dozen others, according to Al Jazeera.
Additional strikes hit other aviation facilities across the country. On October 7, an attack on Abha International Airport killed two people and wounded 28, while reported strikes on Jazan and Najran airports on October 6 resulted in minor injuries, according to Al Jazeera and Saudi civil aviation authorities cited by Arab News.
Between 2004 and 2010, the faction engaged in six military campaigns against the administration of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh before taking control of Sanaa in September 2014.
Airport Closures Disrupt Commercial Travel and Energy Events
The airport closures and security threats immediately crippled commercial travel and major energy events. National carrier Saudia canceled 70 percent of scheduled departures from Riyadh, and overall flights at the airport dropped by approximately 85 percent by October 11, according to Middle East Monitor.
Flagship carrier Riyadh Air paused operations entirely, and major international carriers including Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways suspended hub connections.
The disruption coincided with preparations for the World Petroleum Congress Energy Congress and upcoming Future Investment Initiative events in Riyadh. Security correspondent Frank Gardner explained on the BBC that the Houthis’ precision strikes and guerrilla tactics have complicated efforts by Saudi forces to secure the kingdom.
During a discussion with Senior Anchor Aayesha Varma, Hindustan Times Executive Editor Shishir Gupta suggested that the Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia risk aggravating an already complex Middle Eastern conflict by endangering energy supplies and putting regional partnerships to the test. Gupta linked the assaults on Saudi territory to a geographical danger, pointing out that Houthi operations near the Red Sea approaches leading to the Suez Canal, coupled with Tehran’s sway over the Strait of Hormuz, subject the area’s energy pathways to pressure from two different sides.
Diplomats Condemn Strikes as Regional Pacts Face Tests
Addressing an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, condemned the attacks as a blatant act of aggression
and declared that the kingdom would not allow Yemen to be turned into a staging ground for threats against Saudi sovereignty or Red Sea navigation.
European nations including the UK, France, and Germany issued warnings advising citizens to avoid Riyadh and sensitive areas. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation—which includes pilgrim-sending countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey—has acted swiftly to put together the Sacred Corridors framework, a diplomatic project aimed at labeling all pathways used for religious pilgrimages as permanently demilitarized zones safeguarded by international protection.