According to Dawn, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was hit by a fresh strike on Sunday, coming a day after a deadly attack claimed by Yemen's Houthi group killed at least a dozen people and forced a suspension of airport operations.

What happened

The anti-Houthi coalition reported that a projectile struck the Riyadh airport on Sunday, causing a fire, while air defenses intercepted another missile nearby. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group carried out four operations over 24 hours utilizing drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Beyond targeting the Riyadh airport multiple times, the group claimed strikes against Dammam airport and two facilities owned by Saudi Aramco. Authorities halted airport operations in Riyadh due to damaged communications and radar equipment, while flight delays were reported at Dammam airport.

Key facts

  • Saturday's attack resulted in 13 deaths, comprising four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, and India, along with 309 wounded individuals.
  • An earlier strike on the same airport on Thursday resulted in three deaths.
  • The civil aviation authority reported an unspecified number of injuries from Sunday's strike; for full official casualty figures, details are not specified in the source; please check the official notice.
  • Foreign embassies from the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, and Australia warned their citizens to avoid the airport or shelter in place.
  • The anti-Houthi coalition labeled Saturday's strike a war crime and promised a decisive response, while Houthi media noted two Saudi airstrikes in Yemen's Sanaa governorate on Sunday.

Why it matters

According to Dawn, Saturday's incident was the deadliest strike in Saudi Arabia in over a decade, representing a sharp escalation in the Yemen conflict. Security analysts noted that the Houthis are attempting to mirror Saudi Arabia's air embargo on Sanaa airport by targeting the kingdom's key transit infrastructure. The attacks drew widespread international condemnation, including from the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump, who stated he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis.

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Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 11, 2026 · Photo by Ameer Albahouth on Unsplash