Houthi Strikes Hit Riyadh Airport Again, Killing One After Deadliest Attack in Decade

Saudi authorities reported that a projectile hit Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 11 October 2026, killing one person and wounding 11. The victim was a Pakistani resident. The strike caused a fire. This followed a missile attack the previous day that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest incident on Saudi soil in more than a decade.

The 10 October strike hit the complex of terminals 3 and 4 used for domestic flights. The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese. An Indian citizen wounded that day later died, bringing the toll higher. Video from the terminal showed passengers running as the ceiling collapsed and dust filled the hall.

Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the 10 October attack and for strikes on Dammam airport and two Saudi Aramco facilities. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group would continue targeting Saudi transit hubs. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen called the attacks war crimes and vowed a decisive response under international humanitarian law. President Donald Trump said he was considering whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis.

Operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended after the attacks. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Authorities said the closure would continue on 12 October to complete safety checks on radar, communications and runways. Conferences scheduled in Riyadh proceeded, according to a Saudi ministry statement. The airport serves a city of about eight million people and handles heavy pilgrim traffic.

The strikes form part of a broader escalation linked to the wider Iran-related conflict. Houthis have targeted Saudi airports repeatedly in recent weeks. Earlier attacks this week killed at least four people, including a pilot. Saudi air defences have intercepted some projectiles, but several reached the capital. The Saudi civil aviation authority said the 11 October projectile was unidentified at the time of the initial report.

Travel warnings increased. The US Federal Aviation Administration issued alerts for airlines operating over Saudi Arabia. Global oil markets watched for further disruption after previous Houthi actions against energy infrastructure. Saudi officials have not yet detailed the specific military response planned. The death toll from the weekend attacks stands at least at 14 across the two days at the Riyadh facility alone.