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The General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that two attacks on Thursday targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an aircraft belonging to the national carrier Saudia. The strikes killed three Saudi citizens and injured a number of other Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities with wounds ranging from minor to severe. One of those killed was Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, according to a statement from Saudia that expressed profound sadness and heartfelt condolences while honouring his memory with deep respect and appreciation. Air traffic at the facility has since returned to normal, the authority added.
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for the airport strikes, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying the Iran-aligned movement fired two missiles at the facility. The group also asserted it targeted an airport in Najran near the Yemeni border and the Khamis Mushait air base farther north, though Saudi officials have not confirmed those additional claims. Reuters reported that the attacks damaged a Saudia plane on the ground with no passengers aboard at the time.
Saudi authorities described the Thursday incident as the deadliest in the kingdom since a major military offensive was launched last weekend against the Houthis, The Washington Post noted in its coverage. The latest deaths follow three fatalities from Houthi attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports earlier in the week, according to the civil aviation authority. Those prior strikes on October 6 and 7 killed a Sudanese national at King Khalid airport along with two women of Moroccan and Algerian nationality at Abha, with more than 30 others wounded across both sites.
The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s government forces has vowed a firm response to the attacks on civilian targets, Rudaw reported citing coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki. Houthi officials told Reuters that Saudi airstrikes hit targets in the Yemeni capital Sanaa overnight as part of intensified operations against the group. Khaleej Times reported that the Houthis have encircled government forces in Taiz while defending Red Sea coastal positions against the Saudi-backed offensive.
Nearly 45 percent of scheduled departures from King Khalid International Airport were cancelled on Thursday due to the strikes, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium data cited by Khaleej Times. Diplomats in Riyadh were ordered to shelter in place and explosions echoed across the city, Euronews reported from the scene. The civil defence agency separately noted that interception debris damaged a kindergarten and medical complex in the capital, though no additional casualties were detailed from those impacts.
The incidents reflect a sharp escalation in cross-border strikes tied to renewed fighting in Yemen where the Houthis control much of the northwest, the BBC reported in its initial coverage. A Saudi-led coalition assessment found the group has stepped up attacks on Saudi infrastructure in response to recent airstrikes, multiple regional outlets confirmed. Operations at the airport resumed after a brief disruption with flight tracking services showing a gradual return to normal schedules by Friday.
