Houthi Strikes Kill 18 at Riyadh Airport in Escalating Yemen Conflict

RIYADH, Oct. 12 — Yemen's Houthi forces have carried out repeated strikes on King Khalid International Airport over the past week, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 300 others in the deadliest attacks on Saudi soil in more than a decade.

Saudi authorities reported that a projectile struck Terminal 4 on Sunday, killing one Pakistani resident and wounding 11. The strike followed a Saturday attack that killed 13, including four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese. An Indian national wounded in the Saturday strike died later, raising the toll further. Officials placed the total wounded from Saturday at 309.

The Saudi-led coalition said air defences intercepted additional missiles and drones near the airport and in the Eastern Province. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the Saturday strike and for attacks on Dammam airport and two Saudi Aramco facilities. The group described Saudi airports as a theatre of operations and warned airlines against using Saudi airspace.

King Khalid International Airport, which serves a city of roughly eight million, suspended operations after the Saturday strike. The civil aviation authority extended the closure into Monday to complete safety checks on radar, communications and runways. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted. Flightradar24 data showed the halt continuing past 2100 GMT on Sunday.

The attacks form part of a broader escalation. Houthis said they acted in response to 124 Saudi airstrikes in Yemen over a 24-hour period. Saudi warplanes struck sites in Sanaa, including the capital's airport, according to Houthi media. The fighting has intensified since a ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government unravelled earlier this year amid the wider Iran war.

Trump said over the weekend that the United States might join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the airport attacks. Several countries issued travel warnings for Riyadh. Australia advised citizens against travel to the airport.

The casualties included foreign nationals working or transiting through the terminal. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif noted that six Pakistani nationals were among the wounded. Hospital sources reported that some of the injured required intensive care.

The strikes have exposed gaps in Saudi air defence coverage of civilian infrastructure. Previous Houthi attacks this week damaged a parked commercial aircraft and killed additional people at the same airport. The coalition has intercepted many projectiles, yet several have reached terminal buildings.

Air traffic has been disrupted across the Gulf as carriers reassess routes. The airport's role as a major transit point for pilgrims and regional travellers has amplified the practical effects of the closures. Conferences scheduled in Riyadh proceeded, according to a Saudi ministry statement, but with reduced international attendance.

The death toll of 18 from airport attacks this week marks the highest single-week figure for such strikes on Saudi territory since the early years of the Yemen conflict. Whether the escalation draws direct US military involvement remains open. The White House has said it is reviewing the situation.