Riyadh Oct 10, 2026 — Saudi Arabia said it would deliver a powerful response to what it described as Houthi “terrorist” attacks on its territory after a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and wounded 309 on Saturday.
The attack, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, hit a passenger terminal without prior warning, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities. The dead included four Saudi nationals as well as citizens of Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Sudan, and Palestine. Hospitals treated a large influx of casualties, some in critical condition, while flights were diverted and airport operations suspended.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government called the strike a “full-fledged war crime” and a “cowardly terrorist attack” against a civilian target. Coalition officials said the response would be firm and decisive. The incident marked the third attack on Riyadh’s main airport in a week amid an escalation that also involved strikes on other Saudi airports and Saudi airstrikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa.
Houthi media claimed the group had shut down the airport. Saudi authorities and the coalition attributed the strikes to the Iran-aligned group, which has intensified missile and drone attacks on the kingdom while facing Saudi-backed offensives inside Yemen. International reactions included condemnations from the United Nations and several governments.
The fighting continues a long-running conflict that has drawn in regional powers and disrupted commercial aviation and shipping.
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