Houthi strikes kill 20 and close Riyadh airport as Saudi-led coalition responds in Yemen

Houthi forces launched a series of ballistic missile and drone strikes on Saudi airports between 6 and 12 October 2026, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 370. The deadliest single incident occurred on 10 October when a strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people, including four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, with the toll rising after an injured Indian citizen died. More than 300 were wounded in that attack alone.

A further strike on 11 October killed one Pakistani resident and wounded 11 others at the same airport. Saudi authorities suspended flights at Riyadh’s main airport until at least 17 October. Operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam were also disrupted after a projectile impact. The Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting missiles over Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the Riyadh and Dammam strikes and for earlier hits on Abha.

The attacks form part of an escalation that began after Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, taking territory along a major shipping route. Saudi warplanes have conducted strikes supporting the internationally recognised Yemeni government. Houthi-run media reported 124 Saudi air strikes in a 24-hour period and warned of further action unless Saudi operations stop. The coalition has continued targeting launch sites.

Riyadh airport has been hit multiple times in under a week. Earlier strikes destroyed a parked Airbus A320 and damaged other aircraft. Schoolchildren and some office workers in Riyadh were advised to work from home. Cirium data showed cancellation rates across Saudi airports reaching 46.4 percent on one day, with airlines including Etihad and Gulf Air suspending routes. Flightradar24 indicated aircraft avoiding Riyadh while some traffic continued toward Jeddah.

Saudi officials described the series as the deadliest on the kingdom in more than a decade and vowed a serious response. The strikes exposed gaps in air defences stretched across oil facilities, government sites and airports. Houthi statements declared Saudi airspace a military operations zone. The fighting coincides with broader regional tensions linked to the 2026 Iran conflict.

Residents of Taiz, a city of more than one million under Houthi siege since early October, face shortages of food and fuel after supply routes from government-held areas were cut. Saudi-led forces reported strikes that blocked Houthi reinforcements heading toward the city. The combination of airport closures, civilian casualties and intensified ground fighting in Yemen has raised the immediate costs for both sides while global shipping routes near the Red Sea remain under threat.

The death toll and disruption numbers come from Saudi civil aviation authority statements and Houthi claims carried by Al Masirah television, cross-checked against Reuters, Al Jazeera and other reporting. No independent verification of every launch site or intercept exists in open sources.