SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026|No. 18342
Middle East · Conflict

Riyadh Airport Targeted Again by Houthi Missile Strike

King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital sustained a second strike in two days, following a series of escalating attacks by Houthi rebels.

Smoke billows from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following a Houthi attack.
Smoke billows from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following a Houthi attack.
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An international airport in the Saudi capital has been hit by a second strike in as many days, officials have said.

A Saudi military spokesman said a projectile had hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, causing a fire in one of its passenger halls. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said there had been injuries.

It comes a day after a strike on the same airport killed 13 people and injured 308 others, following similar strikes earlier this week.

Yemen's Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility for the strikes, warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi Arabian airports and airspace.

The Houthis have said they were targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war, as well as an air strike on the airport in Sanaa.

Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, said air defences had intercepted a missile near the airport in Riyadh, while authorities were dealing with the fire.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the UK could "potentially" provide more support for Saudi Arabia, while US President Donald Trump said the US would "make a decision" and "move very quickly" on whether to strike the Houthis.

Saturday's strike was the deadliest single attack on a Gulf Arab country since the war between Israel, the US and Iran began in February.

Four Saudi nationals, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt were among the dead, the Saudi civil aviation authority said. The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that an Indian man had succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the attack.

Riyadh airport attack another dangerous moment in already tense conflict

The Houthis said they had targeted the airport with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones in the past 24 hours.

Their military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree vowed to continue the "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia".

He warned that Saudi airports were "potential targets and sites for operations by our forces", apart from those in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to parts of Saudi Arabia, including areas within 10km (6.2 miles) of the border with Yemen, while other western embassies have warned their nationals about travel in the region.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said he was "appalled" by the attack.

The Saudi-led coalition vowed to respond to Saturday's attack, which it called a "war crime" and blamed on the Houthis.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said "the Saudi enemy" had launched an air strike on Sanaa International Airport in Yemen's capital. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the attack and the BBC has been unable to verify this claim.

Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, vice-president of Yemen's internationally recognised government, called for "decisive actions" from regional and international partners.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed that a US citizen was killed in the strikes.

Asked whether the US planned to also conduct strikes on the Houthis, US President Donald Trump said it may, adding: "We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."

Riyadh's airport was struck on Thursday, an attack that killed three Saudi nationals. The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they had used cruise missiles to target the airport.

There were two other deadly attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Riyadh in the two days prior to that.

Smoke and flames seen at King Khalid airport in Riyadh on 8 October

The latest uptick in violence comes after a temporary ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces, brokered in 2022, collapsed in July.

The conflict worsened after the Houthis seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive, prompting Saudi strikes. Yemeni pro-government forces later said they had secured the regions.

The Houthis currently control around a quarter of Yemeni territory and as much as 80% of the country's population. The Iran-backed armed group hopes to eventually seize complete control.

Saudi Arabia fears this would lead to the establishment of an Iranian satellite state on its southern border.

A very quick guide:

Yemen and the Houthis

Key facts about the country and rebel force

Where is Yemen?

Yemen lies on the southern Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman and across the water from Djibouti and Eritrea.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. But its location on a major shipping route linking Europe and Asia between the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean makes it strategically important.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis are an armed political and religious group from northern Yemen.

They took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to flee and plunging the country into civil war.

They run a de facto government, collect taxes, issue currency and have their own armed forces.

What do they want?

The Houthis, who are mostly from Yemen's Zaidi Shia Muslim minority, want control of the whole of Yemen.

They want Saudi Arabia to end its intervention and support for the pro-government forces the Houthis are fighting against.

And they want access to revenue from Yemeni oil and gas reserves.

What do the Houthis control?

The Houthis control Sanaa and the north-west of Yemen and much of its Red Sea coastline.

Civil war has devastated Yemen, causing a humanitarian disaster leaving millions relying on some form of aid.

They are fighting government forces and a Saudi-led coalition backed by the US.

Who backs the Houthis?

Saudi Arabia and the US say Iran has smuggled weapons - including drones, and cruise and ballistic missiles - to the Houthis during Yemen's civil war.

Iran denies supplying weapons and says it only supports the Houthis politically.

They are also reported to have received support from Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Why does it matter?

Since 2023, the Houthis have attacked shipping in the Red Sea and fired missiles and drones towards Israel, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

They have also attacked Saudi Arabia.

The attacks have drawn military responses from the US, UK and others.

The Houthis recently captured key islands at the southern tip of the Red Sea, from where they could further disrupt shipping already affected by the US-Iran war in the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemeni military says it has 'secured' Red Sea waterway

Inside Yemen's front-line city as Houthis battle for control

How escalating Saudi oil crisis could drive up prices everywhere

PAN's pipeline reviewed approximately 2 open sources for this article. No human editor reviewed this article before publication.

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