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

A Houthi ballistic missile struck a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, 10 October 2026, killing 12 people and wounding 309 others, some critically. Saudi authorities later confirmed an additional death, bringing the total to 13 after an Indian national succumbed to injuries sustained in the same attack. The strike was the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade and the third assault on the airport that week.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation listed the dead as four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. An Indian citizen died of wounds on Sunday. Egyptian state media identified one of the victims as Azza Ramzy, a flight attendant for the Saudi airline Flynas. A Syrian woman killed in the attack was described by relatives as a widowed mother living in the kingdom.

Airport operations were suspended immediately. Flights were diverted or cancelled. Authorities extended the closure into Monday. Schools in Riyadh shifted to remote learning for a week. Health officials activated a mass call-up of doctors to handle the emergency. Witnesses described chaos at the terminal. One passenger near gate 403 said he saw the impact and people running from the scene.

The Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for the series of strikes. Military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group had targeted the airport and warned that failed interceptions would be Saudi Arabia's responsibility. Earlier in the week, attacks on the same airport and others in Abha, Jazan, and Najran had already killed several people and damaged aircraft, including a Saudia plane. A separate projectile fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday.

The Saudi-led coalition called the Saturday strike a full-fledged war crime against a civilian facility. Spokesman Major-General Turki al-Malki said the coalition would respond decisively under customary international humanitarian law. On Sunday, Saudi forces struck targets in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. Houthi media reported casualties, including a child, from those airstrikes. A further projectile hit a Riyadh terminal on Sunday, causing a fire and additional injuries. Air defences intercepted other missiles.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. He said they must cease immediately. Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, and others issued statements of condemnation. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced the strikes, though the two countries have no diplomatic relations.

US President Donald Trump said his administration would examine whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. He told reporters the decision would come quickly. The attacks form part of a wider escalation that began after a truce in Yemen unravelled in July 2026. The Houthis have increased strikes on Saudi targets, including oil facilities and airports, as the broader Iran war continues. The United States has raised its own casualty figures from related operations to 21 service members killed and 865 wounded.

The disruption hits a major hub serving a city of roughly eight million people. Airlines suspended routes to Saudi destinations. The closure affects migrant workers, pilgrims, and business travellers. Bangladesh and other countries have raised concerns about citizens stranded or facing visa deadlines. Oil markets registered a war premium as risks to supply routes in the region remain elevated, even as separate developments in Ukraine and the Strait of Hormuz affect global energy flows.

Saudi Arabia has intercepted many incoming projectiles, but the repeated hits on the main airport show limits in the current defence posture. The coalition has vowed further action. Houthi statements frame the strikes as retaliation for Saudi operations in Yemen. The sequence leaves open the question of whether the exchanges will draw additional external involvement or remain contained to the existing fronts.