Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport kill at least 13 and wound hundreds as Saudi air defences fail to intercept

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 and 11 October killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300. The 10 October strike alone killed 12 people initially and left 309 wounded. An injured Indian citizen later died, bringing that day’s toll to 13. A separate strike on 11 October killed one Pakistani resident and wounded 11 others.

The dead from the 10 October attack included four Saudi citizens, two people from Bangladesh, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Saudi authorities confirmed the figures. Among the Saudi victims was a Saudia pilot killed in an earlier related strike. An Egyptian flight attendant and a Saudi woman travelling to Madinah were also identified among the casualties.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes on the airport. The attacks were the third on the facility in a week. Earlier strikes on 6, 7 and 8 October killed additional people and damaged a commercial aircraft on the tarmac. The Saudi-led coalition called the 10 October attack a war crime and said it would respond decisively. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the strikes and said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop.

Operations at the airport, which serves a city of about 8 million people, were suspended. Flights were diverted. Authorities later extended the closure. Indian and other airlines cancelled or delayed Saudi routes. Security camera footage released later showed passengers in a terminal when a blast caused part of the ceiling to collapse and debris to fall.

Saudi officials launched an investigation into how air defences failed to intercept the missiles and drones. The kingdom has spent heavily on defence systems. The repeated hits exposed gaps in those systems while Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognised Yemeni government against the Houthis. Fighting in Yemen has escalated after a ceasefire unravelled. The Houthis have also struck Saudi oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

Countries including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned the attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the strike even though Israel and Saudi Arabia have no formal diplomatic relations. The United States Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of safety risks over Saudi Arabia.

The death toll makes the 10 October attack the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade. Total fatalities from the recent series of airport strikes reached at least 20. Hundreds remain injured, some critically. The airport closure disrupted international travel and highlighted the vulnerability of civilian aviation infrastructure in the ongoing Yemen conflict.

Saudi authorities have not yet released a full assessment of structural damage or the precise sequence of air-defence failures. The investigation continues while the airport remains closed and additional strikes have been reported.