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The General Authority of Civil Aviation issued a detailed statement on the outcomes of assaults that struck Abha International Airport on October 6, 2026, and King Khalid International Airport the following day. At Abha, located in the kingdom’s southern Asir province, a Moroccan woman and an Algerian woman lost their lives while 28 others sustained injuries that ranged from minor to severe. Those hurt included Saudi citizens together with residents from Bangladesh and the Philippines, all of whom were transported to hospital without delay.
A parallel strike at King Khalid International Airport near the capital resulted in the death of a Sudanese resident and injuries to eight additional people, according to the same authority. The wounded in Riyadh comprised five Saudi citizens along with two Egyptian residents and one from Pakistan, with their conditions similarly varying in seriousness. Emergency teams responded at both locations in line with pre-established protocols while officials began evaluating material damage to facilities.
Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the operations, multiple regional outlets including Gulf News and The National reported. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had directed drones at the Riyadh airport and a combination of ballistic missiles with drones toward Abha and an associated airbase. The attacks were portrayed by the group as retaliation tied to the Saudi-led coalition’s activities in Yemen.
These incidents followed closely on earlier strikes against King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport that had injured three people and inflicted property damage, an Aerotime Aero analysis noted. The General Authority of Civil Aviation had issued a prior update confirming those assaults and the activation of emergency measures. Such events reflect a continuing pattern of cross-border actions that have affected Saudi aviation infrastructure at regular intervals.
The Yemen conflict, which began in 2014 and drew Saudi Arabia into a leading role in a multinational coalition the following year, has produced recurrent Houthi strikes on targets inside the kingdom, according to longstanding coverage in Arab News and Al Arabiya. A subsequent assault on King Khalid International Airport detailed by Al Jazeera on October 10, 2026, produced at least 12 additional deaths and more than 300 injuries. Saudi authorities continue to coordinate between civil aviation and security bodies to assess cumulative effects and reinforce protective measures across airport operations.
