Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi airports kill at least 20, wound 370+

Yemen's Houthi movement launched a week-long campaign of ballistic missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabian airports between October 6 and 12, 2026, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 370 others, according to Saudi officials and Houthi statements reported by Al Jazeera and PBS NewsHour.

The attacks struck three facilities: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. King Khalid, the capital's main hub, was hit repeatedly and bore the heaviest toll.

Timeline of the strikes

The campaign began on October 6 and 7, when a combined missile and drone attack on King Khalid airport killed one Sudanese national and injured eight civilians, Al Jazeera reported. Abha International Airport was also hit, killing two women — one Algerian, one Moroccan — and wounding 28 people.

On October 8, two separate strikes hit King Khalid airport; the second destroyed a Saudia Airbus A320 parked at the facility. The deadliest attack came on October 10 (Saturday), when a missile struck the airport, damaging a fuel storage area and forcing a temporary suspension of operations. Saudi authorities and Al Jazeera put the death toll at 12, while PBS NewsHour cited a figure of at least 13 killed and over 300 wounded. The dead reportedly included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. A separate projectile also fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam that day.

Strikes continued on October 11, when Terminal 4 of King Khalid airport was hit again, igniting a fire in a passenger hall; a Pakistani resident died and 11 people were injured. A further missile attack targeted Riyadh on October 12, marking the third consecutive day the capital's airport came under fire, Al Jazeera reported.

How the attacks were carried out

According to PBS NewsHour, the Houthis used a two-phase approach: drones were launched first to draw out and suppress Saudi air defenses, followed by a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles that traveled more than 1,000 kilometers to reach King Khalid airport. A Saudi investigation found the kingdom's defense systems failed to provide adequate early warning, and officials said some Houthi missile warheads can change direction mid-flight, complicating interception by Patriot systems.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said "the events of recent weeks are serious" and that "our response must be equally serious," PBS NewsHour reported. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. and its allies "have not yet achieved deterrence" against the Houthis.

Houthi claims and stated motive

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they had "shut down Riyadh international airport," according to Al Jazeera. The group declared Saudi airspace a "zone of military operations," with all aircraft except those flying over Mecca and Medina treated as targets.

Al Jazeera reported that the strikes follow the collapse of a UN-brokered ceasefire that had been in place since 2022, with fighting intensifying between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. Yemeni analyst Hisham al-Omeisy told Al Jazeera the Houthis are seeking "more concessions from the Saudis" and described the group as "a maximalist group" that could expand strikes to oil and energy infrastructure. Yemeni government representatives also allege that Houthi-controlled airports are used to shuttle delegations to and from Iran, which backs the group financially.

International reaction

The attacks drew swift condemnation. U.S. President Trump called the Riyadh strike "terrible" and said he was evaluating whether the United States should join the war against the Houthis, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the attack "killed an American" and called it "reprehensible," according to Al Jazeera.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply shocked" and that such strikes "must cease immediately." UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg called it "a grave escalation" that "complicates peace efforts for Yemen."

Other governments also condemned the strikes: Egypt called them a "flagrant violation" of international law; Qatar called them a "serious violation of Saudi sovereignty"; Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it a "heinous attack"; India called it "dastardly"; Japan said such assaults "cannot be tolerated"; and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney described them as "abhorrent," Al Jazeera reported. Oman urged "self-restraint" to prevent further escalation.

Casualty figures compared

Minor discrepancies in the death toll from the October 10 strike appear in different reports; Al Jazeera cited Saudi figures of 12 dead and 309 wounded, while PBS NewsHour reported at least 13 killed.

Background

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Zaydi Shia movement that took control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2015, prompting a Saudi-led coalition military intervention that has lasted more than a decade, according to Wikipedia. The group has acquired increasingly sophisticated ballistic missiles and drones that analysts say are supplied by Iran.