Houthi Missile Strikes Kill 13 at Riyadh Airport as Saudi Coalition Prepares Response

Yemen’s Houthi forces struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport again over the weekend, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300 in the deadliest attack on Saudi territory in over a decade.

Saudi authorities said the Saturday strike hit a passenger terminal handling domestic flights. The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. An Indian national later died from injuries, bringing the total to 13. More than 309 people were wounded, some critically.

This followed earlier attacks on the same airport during the week that killed at least three Saudis, including a pilot, and damaged aircraft. A further projectile hit the terminal on Sunday, killing one more person and injuring 11. Operations at the airport were suspended, and hundreds of flights were canceled or diverted.

The Saudi-led coalition described the strikes as war crimes against civilians and promised a decisive response. Officials launched an investigation into why air defenses failed to intercept the barrage of missiles and drones. Houthi media claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks aimed at shutting down the airport and warned airlines against using Saudi airspace.

The escalation occurs against the backdrop of the wider conflict involving Iran. The Houthis, aligned with Tehran, have intensified operations after a truce with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces broke down earlier in the year. US officials have indicated Washington is considering joining Saudi strikes against the group. Pentagon figures released quietly updated US casualties from Iran-related operations to 21 dead and 865 wounded.

Travelers described sudden blasts collapsing ceilings and filling terminals with dust and debris. Hospitals in Riyadh activated mass casualty protocols. The attacks disrupted air links for a city of roughly eight million people and raised questions about the resilience of Gulf infrastructure under sustained long-range fire.

Saudi forces have since struck targets in Yemen, including around Sanaa. Oil executives canceled appearances at events in Riyadh, and global travel advisories tightened. Brent crude prices climbed above $105 a barrel as markets weighed further supply risks from the region.

The pattern of repeated hits on the same civilian facility suggests the Houthis have improved the accuracy and volume of their missile and drone inventories. For Saudi planners, the immediate task is restoring airport operations while determining how layered defenses were bypassed. Longer-term, the strikes test whether Riyadh can protect its capital without drawing the United States deeper into the Yemen front of the Iran war.

Passengers who were inside the terminal during the Saturday strike reported seeing objects in the sky moments before the impact. One witness near gate 403 said people ran as glass shattered and parts of the structure fell. Medical sources indicated several victims remained in intensive care days later.

The Indian Embassy confirmed the death of one of its citizens among the wounded. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the American fatality and condemned the attack. Regional officials said the projectiles appeared to be a mix of ballistic missiles and drones launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

Airport authorities moved schools in the area to remote learning for a week as a precaution. Flightradar24 data showed more than 150 arrivals and 160 departures canceled on the day of the main strike, with additional delays cascading through regional hubs. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation stated that damage assessments were ongoing and that some wounded remained in critical condition.

Houthi statements framed the airport as a legitimate military target because Saudi aircraft operating from it support operations in Yemen. Saudi officials rejected that claim, noting the terminal hit handled civilian domestic flights. The coalition spokesman, Major-General Turki al-Malki, called the strike a full-fledged war crime and said the response would follow customary international humanitarian law.

The sequence of attacks this week is the most sustained pressure the Houthis have applied against Riyadh since the early years of the Yemen war. Previous strikes on oil facilities and airports produced temporary disruptions; the current series has produced sustained casualties inside a major passenger terminal. That distinction raises the political cost for both sides and complicates any near-term de-escalation.

For now, King Khalid International remains closed to normal traffic while engineers inspect structural damage and authorities review air-defense logs. The investigation into how the projectiles penetrated will shape both immediate tactical adjustments and the scale of any Saudi retaliation. Markets and airlines are already pricing in the possibility that further strikes could keep the airport offline longer than initially expected.