Houthi Missile Strikes Kill Three at Riyadh Airport, Damage Saudia Aircraft

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation stated on Friday that two attacks the previous day on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed three Saudi nationals and injured others. One of the dead was Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami of Saudia Airlines. A Saudia aircraft on the ground was damaged. No passengers were aboard at the time of the second strike.

Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility, saying it had fired ballistic missiles at the airport, as well as at facilities in Najran and Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition reported destroying three Houthi missile launch platforms. Debris from an intercepted missile damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh. Explosions were heard across the capital on Thursday, prompting diplomats to shelter and schools to take precautions.

Air traffic at the airport returned to normal by Friday evening, though many international carriers had already cancelled or delayed flights. Cirium data showed that nearly half of Thursday’s scheduled departures from Riyadh did not operate. Airlines including Air India, IndiGo, Egyptair and others suspended services for safety reasons. Singapore Airlines postponed the launch of a new route. The attacks form part of an escalation that has already killed three people earlier in the week at Abha and Riyadh airports.

The fighting is the latest phase of the Yemen war, which has intensified as a spillover from the broader U.S.-Iran confrontation that began in late February. Houthi forces have advanced around Taiz and continue to threaten Red Sea shipping lanes, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces announced operations to reverse recent Houthi gains. The airport strikes disrupted commercial aviation in the kingdom days before Riyadh is scheduled to host a major gathering of global oil executives.

Saudi officials described the three deaths as martyrdom. The civil defence agency responded to both the airport incidents and the debris damage in the city. Injuries among Saudi citizens and foreign residents ranged from minor to serious. The resumption of operations on Friday reduced the immediate commercial impact, yet the pattern of repeated strikes on airports in recent days has forced carriers to adjust schedules and raised insurance and security costs for routes serving the kingdom.

The conflict continues on multiple fronts. Houthi spokesmen have warned of further targeting of energy and transport infrastructure. The Saudi coalition has stated it will respond firmly to attacks on civilian sites. For travellers and airlines the practical consequence has been a series of short-notice cancellations and the need to monitor advisories before any flight to or from Riyadh. The deaths of three civilians, including a serving airline captain, mark the highest single-day toll from these airport attacks in the current round of hostilities.