Houthis strike Riyadh airport, killing 13 on Saturday, as US tightens access to Saudi airports
The Houthis said a ballistic missile hit King Khalid airport in Riyadh, while Saudi air defences said they intercepted missiles aimed at the capital. The US embassy now requires American officials to seek special permission to access Saudi airports.
Strikes on Riyadh and its airport
The Houthi movement, a Yemeni group backed by Iran, said its forces fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which lies about 35 kilometres north of the Saudi capital. Its military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the missile hit its target, and the group also claimed a drone attack on Khamis Mushait, a southern Saudi city that hosts a large military base. Saudi authorities had not confirmed these claims. The strikes form part of a campaign against Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers, and the airport attack is described as the most serious escalation of that campaign. Video from closed-circuit cameras shows people panicking during the Saturday attack, while footage recorded afterwards shows heavy damage inside one of the airport's terminals.
- Houthi missile strike on King Khalid airport kills 13 and injures hundreds, per NEWS 24/7
- Second attack kills one and injures 11, per Naftemporiki
- Riyadh residents receive phone alerts, and Reuters, citing witnesses, reports three explosions
- Al Nassr Asian Champions League match starts at 22:15 local time, moved from 21:15
- Delta first direct US to Saudi Arabia flight, originally scheduled for this date, moved to March 2027
Casualties and the toll
Naftemporiki reported that the attacks came in two phases over the weekend of 10 and 11 October 2026. The first strike on Saturday, 10 October killed 13 people, and the Sunday attack killed one more and injured 11, according to the same outlet. NEWS 24/7 reported hundreds injured on Saturday and close to ten injured on Sunday, so the injury counts differ between reports. Other reports put the death toll at the airport at 18, a figure cited separately by Naftemporiki, so the combined total is not settled in the sources.
- 2026-10-10
- 13 people
- 2026-10-11
- 1 people
Warnings, interceptions and the threat to the United States
Residents of Riyadh received alerts on their mobile phones warning of an airborne threat, telling them to stay calm, remain indoors or in a safe place, and keep away from windows and doors. Reuters, citing witnesses, reported three explosions in the city on Monday evening. Saudi officials said air defences intercepted and destroyed the missiles launched towards Riyadh, and the alert was lifted after a few minutes. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, told AFP from Sanaa that Houthi retaliation would be swift if the United States joins the attacks on Yemen.
If the United States engages in the attack against Yemen, there will be no delay. The response will be fast and painful against the United States and all its interests in the region.
Al-Bukhaiti also warned workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from those sites, which he described as legitimate targets.
Aviation and US measures
The US embassy in Riyadh said American officials in the kingdom must now seek special permission to access all Saudi airports. The requirement already applied to the airports in Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, and the embassy advised Americans who fly to show maximum caution. The embassy also said Americans had been arrested for taking photos of recent events, without saying how many or whether they had been released. Delta Air Lines postponed its first direct flight between the United States and Saudi Arabia, originally set for 23 October 2026, to March 2027, citing developments in the region. The move followed a US Federal Aviation Administration notice advising American carriers to be careful when operating in Jeddah airspace because of a potentially dangerous situation. The embassy reminded residents that sharing unapproved photos or videos of missiles, drones or strike damage can bring legal sanctions.
Wider regional context
NEWS 24/7, citing the Guardian, reported that the Houthis stayed out of an earlier conflict in which the United States and Israel attacked Iran early this year. In September 2026 the group took control of territory of strategic importance, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the Red Sea, a channel for oil and gas exports. Yemeni government forces and their local allies launched a broad counteroffensive in the week of 5 October to push the Houthis back from the strait. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Saudi Arabia and Yemen to avoid a new escalation and said attacks on civilians and non-military infrastructure are incompatible with international humanitarian law.
The continuation of hostilities can only lead to even greater human suffering.
The International Organization for Migration counted more than 217,000 people displaced in Yemen since the latest escalation of fighting began.
Sport disruption
Al Nassr's Asian Champions League match against Nefchi Fergana from Uzbekistan was delayed by an hour on Monday evening. The kickoff was scheduled for 21:15 local time, but the broadcaster moved the start to 22:15 after the interception announcement. Skai reported that Cristiano Ronaldo scored just before halftime, taking his career tally to 981 goals, and that Al Nassr led 2-1 in the 60th minute.
