Houthi strike disrupts Riyadh airport as flights are cancelled

A reported Houthi missile attack struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 10, injuring several people, prompting the suspension of airport operations and disrupting flights. Witnesses described people running from the terminal and ambulances heading to the site, although Saudi authorities did not confirm a new attack or an evacuation.¹²³⁴

Airport disruption

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended after the incident. Flight tracking information indicated that all flights bound for Riyadh were either diverted or cancelled, while several Gulf carriers halted services to and from the capital. The airport asked passengers to contact their airlines before travelling to the facility.¹³⁴

Several people were injured, according to reports carried by the BBC and The Straits Times. A local hospital source cited by The Guardian said that dozens had been hurt and that five people were in intensive care, but those figures had not been independently confirmed. Khaleej Times reported that the total number of injured people was still being established.¹²³⁴

Witness accounts

An eyewitness said an area around gate 401 had been hit and described seeing injured people as passengers fled. Another witness account placed the speaker at gate 403. Reuters, cited in reports, said that more than a dozen ambulances were seen travelling towards the airport. A medical source said doctors had been called to hospitals in response to what it described as a serious emergency.¹²³

A diplomatic source said the airport had been hit by a missile and accused the Houthis of attacking a civilian target. The Houthis were reported to have carried out the attack, but Saudi authorities did not publicly confirm either a fresh strike or passenger evacuations. The differing accounts left the precise sequence inside the airport unclear.²³⁴

Earlier attacks and wider fighting

The airport had been targeted days earlier. Reports said attacks on October 8 killed three Saudi citizens, including a Saudia pilot, injured several other people and damaged a parked Saudia aircraft that had no passengers aboard. The earlier casualties and damage were reported by several outlets but remain based on accounts not independently confirmed in the dossier.¹³⁴

The reported incident occurred as clashes intensified again between the Houthis and Yemen’s government forces, which are backed by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 to prevent the Houthis taking over Yemen, and a temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022. According to the BBC, once the unofficial truce started breaking down in July, the Houthis declared a sea embargo on Saudi Arabia and launched missiles and drones at airports, oil sites and tankers in the Red Sea.¹

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said it knew of the attacks on King Khalid International Airport and issued a strong warning for American citizens to stay away from the airport and its vicinity. US President Donald Trump said the United States would consider joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis after learning of the latest attack.³

Fighting near a shipping route

In another development in the war, pro-government Yemeni forces said they had taken control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, an important passage at the Red Sea’s southern entrance. According to The Guardian, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said no Houthi forces remained in the strait, but a military spokesperson said government forces had retaken only half of the area concerned.¹²

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s north-west according to the BBC, say their attacks on Saudi Arabia are linked to Saudi support for Yemeni government forces. They also said the airport strike was retaliation for an air strike on Sanaa airport and what they described as a Saudi blockade, a claim reported by the BBC.¹