RIYADH: Thursday’s attacks on Riyadh airport killed three people, Saudi authorities said on Friday, as Yemen’s Houthi group stepped up missile strikes on the kingdom and tried to shut down its airspace in an escalating war triggered by the US-Iran conflict. The strikes also injured several people and damaged a Saudia Airlines plane. Many airlines cancelled flights to the Saudi capital days before it is due to host a major meeting of global oil chiefs. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Background: How the Iran War Reached Saudi Arabia
The latest fighting is linked to the wider war that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, repeatedly threatened to join the conflict, and in mid-July they resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia. They then announced a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea and attacked several Saudi-linked vessels.
The Houthis say the blockade is a reply to Saudi Arabia’s own restrictions on Houthi-controlled areas and ports. Saudi Arabia says its blockade is meant to stop Iran from sending weapons to the group. Around three weeks before the latest offensive, the Houthis took the port of Mokha and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is an important Red Sea shipping route. It matters even more now, since Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and Saudi Arabia has been using the Red Sea to export its oil.
Details: What Happened at the Airport
According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, there were two attacks on Thursday. The first targeted facilities at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in the afternoon, and the second struck a Saudia aircraft. Three Saudi citizens were killed, including a pilot working for the national airline, and several people of different nationalities were injured. The authority said that the injuries ranged from minor to serious.
The statement did not name who was responsible, but the Houthis said they targeted the airport with a ballistic missile. It was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in Yemen launched a major offensive against the Houthis last weekend. Saudia Group said that operations at the airport returned to normal at 6pm on Thursday, and flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed a gradual return of flights on Friday.
The Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed three missile launch platforms used by the Houthis and warned that it would respond firmly to attacks on civilians. Houthi officials and affiliated media said that Saudi air strikes also hit Houthi targets in the capital Sanaa overnight. On Monday, government forces backed by Saudi air strikes recaptured territory around the Bab el-Mandeb coastline, and fighting has continued around the town of Dhubab.
Quotes: What the Sides Have Said
Earlier this week, the Houthis warned global airlines “for the last time” about the consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theatre of their military operations. The group has also announced repeated rounds of ballistic missile fire and said it would shut down Saudi airspace. It has warned workers at oil facilities that those sites could be targeted too.
The Saudi-led coalition has said it is acting to protect regional security and the safety of civilians. Independent confirmation of battlefield claims from both sides is limited, so readers should treat statements from the warring parties with caution.
Note for the writer: please add a fresh statement from Saudi Arabia’s government, the UN or an airline if one is published later today. Do not publish invented quotes.
Impact: Aviation, Oil and the Region
The attacks threaten civil aviation, as airlines may avoid Saudi airspace if they believe the risk is too high. Riyadh is also scheduled to host a major gathering of global oil executives in the coming days, and the disruption comes at a sensitive time for energy markets. Pakistan and Turkey’s top ministers also met in Saudi Arabia this week, according to NPR, which underlines how closely the wider region is watching events.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is another key concern. About 12% of global trade passes through it, and it has become the main outlet for Saudi oil while the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. Around 30 tankers near the Saudi port of Yanbu are reportedly within the Houthis’ strike range, and any serious disruption could affect oil prices and shipping costs worldwide.
For Yemen, the fighting has revived a civil war after a four-year ceasefire. Searches such as “Houthi country” often confuse the group with a state, but the Houthis are a Yemeni armed movement that controls large parts of the north and west of Yemen, and they are not a separate country. Readers also ask about a Houthi attack on Mecca. None of the reports reviewed for this article says that Mecca was targeted, and the reported targets this week were airports, oil facilities and military sites.
Conclusion: What to Watch Next
The key question is whether Saudi Arabia and its allies can push the Houthis back from the Red Sea coast, and whether the Houthis can continue missile and drone attacks on airports and energy sites. Airlines’ decisions on flights to Riyadh in the next few days will be another indicator.
The war is also tied to the wider Iran conflict, so any diplomatic movement between Washington and Tehran could change the picture. Further updates will follow as the situation develops.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Did Houthis attack Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Saudi authorities said that attacks claimed by the Houthis on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia aircraft killed three Saudi citizens on Thursday, October 8. Earlier this week, Saudi officials also reported deaths in attacks on the airports of Riyadh and Abha, which the Houthis claimed. The group has fired missiles at Saudi Arabia many times since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, including a major strike on Riyadh’s airport in 2018. In 2016, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi missile fired towards the area of Mecca, which the Houthis denied was aimed at the holy city. The Houthis resumed attacks on the kingdom in July 2026, and they say they are responding to Saudi actions.
Why are the Houthis fighting Saudi Arabia?
The conflict has deep roots in Yemen’s civil war. The Houthis, a Yemeni movement that follows a Zaidi Shia tradition and is backed by Iran, took the capital Sanaa in 2014, and Saudi Arabia led a coalition from 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government. The two sides largely stopped fighting after a ceasefire in 2022. The current round began in mid-July 2026, when the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing the airport in Sanaa to stop an Iranian flight, and then announced a blockade of Saudi shipping. Saudi Arabia says its own blockade is meant to prevent Iranian weapons from reaching the Houthis, and the war between the United States, Israel and Iran has made tensions even worse.
Is Saudi still fighting Houthis?
Yes. Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air offensive against the Houthis last weekend to retake territory along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. On Monday, government forces recaptured several key areas around the strait, and fighting has continued around the town of Dhubab. Saudi air strikes have also hit Houthi targets in Sanaa, according to Houthi officials, and the coalition said it destroyed three missile launch platforms on Thursday. The Houthis, for their part, continue to fire missiles at Saudi airports and military facilities. There is no ceasefire at the moment, and the situation is changing quickly, so readers should follow official statements and trusted news reports.
