Houthi missile strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid airport leave at least 13 dead

Strikes on Riyadh's airport

Saudi Arabia's capital came under a run of missile and drone strikes that centred on King Khalid International Airport. Reports say four consecutive attacks hit Riyadh in the week of 5 October, with the passenger terminal struck on Saturday, 10 October and again on Sunday, 11 October. Reports put the Saturday death toll at 12 or 13, depending on the source. The Saudi civil aviation authority said the Sunday strike killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others. Across the attacks, reports cite at least 18 dead and more than 300 injured.

1. Oct 10, 2026Strike hits the King Khalid airport passenger terminal in Riyadh, killing 12 or 13 people depending on the report
2. Oct 11, 2026Second airport strike kills one person and injures 11, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority
3. Night of 12 OctoberHouthis claim a ballistic missile strike on the airport, while Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a missile aimed at Riyadh
4. Morning of 13 OctoberHouthi-aligned Al-Masirah reports at least three Saudi strikes on Saada province

Houthi claims and Saudi interception

The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that Saudi Arabia has fought for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the latest airport attack on Monday. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group struck the airport with a ballistic missile on Monday night. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and two missiles aimed at Khamis Mushait in the southwest. The civil aviation authority has halted operations at the airport until 17 October. The Houthi-aligned Al-Masirah channel reported at least three Saudi strikes on Saada province on Tuesday morning, and Sarea said a Saudi drone was shot down there.

Silence before the attacks

Saudi authorities stopped issuing public warnings about imminent military attacks a few days before the strikes, according to Reuters. Four officials and analysts told Reuters that the lack of alerts raised questions about the kingdom's vulnerability and its ability to protect residents and visitors. Sultan Alamer, a Saudi academic based in the United States and a researcher at the Middle East Policy Council, said the government wants to conduct military operations while also projecting security to residents and foreign allies. Civil Defence, the emergency agency under the Interior Ministry, and the government press office did not answer written questions about the silence. Civil Defence issued its first warnings since 29 September on Monday, 12 October, flagging possible threats to Riyadh and southern cities, but it was unclear whether this was a response to the airport strikes. Qatar sent mobile alerts before almost every attack, while Bahrain and Kuwait sounded sirens repeatedly. Saudi Arabia's national early-warning system, launched in May, stayed inactive during the attacks.

Air defence under investigation

Saudi Arabia has opened an inquiry into why its air defences failed to stop the missiles and drones, the Associated Press reports, citing two officials. A preliminary probe found that the Houthis first launched multiple drones before firing cruise and ballistic missiles at the airport, and the weapons travelled more than 1,000 km. The inquiry is also examining why no early warning was issued. Thomas Juneau, a security analyst at the University of Ottawa, said Saudi air defence has stopped some missiles and drones but the country is too large to defend consistently. Analysts noted that Israel's top air defence systems also failed to stop a ballistic missile that narrowly missed Ben Gurion airport in 2025. Reports describe the Houthis' 'Palestine-2' hypersonic missile as capable of 16 times the speed of sound, but it has not been confirmed in this attack, though experts say the weapon used was clearly sophisticated.

Ground fighting and next steps

Fighting between Houthi forces and government troops and their allies continued on Tuesday in Taiz, where the government said its warplanes carried out nine strikes on Houthi forces. Saudi Arabia launched a large-scale operation in the week of 5 October to support government forces loyal to Aden against the Houthis, who control Sanaa and the north. Kathimerini reports that Saudi Arabia's options are limited, and that the Houthis are threatening costly escalation by targeting oil installations. The Wall Street Journal, citing Saudi officials, reports that the 41-year-old crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has cut public appearances and moves between fortified palaces with shelters. Asked about the airport attacks on Sunday, 11 October, US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of American bombing of the Houthis without committing to it.