The deadly strike forced flight diversions and a temporary shutdown at King Khalid International Airport as regional fighting intensified.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — An attack on King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured 309 others Saturday, Saudi civil aviation authorities said, marking the third attack on Riyadh’s main airport in a week of sharply escalating fighting involving Yemen’s Houthis.
The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. Some of those wounded were in critical condition and were being treated at several hospitals. Airport operations were temporarily suspended while officials assessed damage, and flights were diverted away from Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis blamed the group for the attack and said it would respond. Reuters later reported that the Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike as part of their renewed campaign against Saudi Arabia. An earlier Associated Press report said the group had not immediately issued a statement on the latest attack, although the Houthis had claimed earlier strikes on the airport during the week.
The Saturday strike followed two earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport that killed four people and damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft, according to Reuters. The news agency reported that Saturday’s attack occurred without an alert from Saudi Arabia’s threat-warning system. The series of attacks has disrupted air travel and raised new questions about the kingdom’s ability to protect major civilian aviation facilities from missiles and drones.
A regional official told The Associated Press that a missile struck an airport complex containing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights. Emergency vehicles rushed to the airport after the attack. Reuters reported that an injured traveler described part of a ceiling collapsing near a departure gate after seeing an object cross the sky. Authorities had not released a complete public assessment of the damage as of late Saturday.
The attacks come as fighting has intensified between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s war in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. A period of relative calm followed a 2022 truce, but fighting and cross-border attacks have increased again in recent months.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have been trying to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea, while Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have carried out strikes in Houthi-held territory. The Houthis have accused those attacks of causing civilian deaths. Reuters said it could not independently verify those casualty claims. The renewed fighting has also increased concern over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. He later said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks and confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed. Several countries also warned their citizens to avoid the Riyadh airport as flight disruptions spread.
Airlines had already begun suspending or canceling some service to Saudi airports before Saturday’s attack. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned of increased risks to civil aviation as missile and drone attacks intensify. Saudi officials have not announced when normal operations at King Khalid International Airport will fully resume, and authorities said the extent of the property damage remained under assessment.
The Saudi-led coalition has pledged a firm response, while the latest attack adds pressure to an already widening regional conflict. With some of the wounded still in critical condition and air travel disrupted, Saudi authorities continued assessing the airport and treating victims as officials weighed their next military and security steps.
Author note: Last updated October 10, 2026.