Houthi strikes shut Riyadh's main airport as Saudi Arabia investigates air-defense failure

The attacks

On 18 September, coalition forces said they had intercepted a suspected Houthi ballistic missile aimed at King Khalid airport, Al Jazeera reported on 9 October [8]. In the same report, Al Jazeera quoted Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) as saying attacks in early October had killed three civilians and injured 36 at the Abha and King Khalid airports. Al Jazeera also reported at least three people wounded in attacks on the Jazan and Najran airports [8]. GACA said a strike on Thursday, 8 October, hit facilities at the Riyadh airport and a Saudia aircraft [8]. Airport operations later resumed and air traffic returned to normal, according to GACA, Anadolu Agency reported on 10 October [18]. The airport closed again after the 10 October strike [9][13]. A Houthi military spokesperson said the group had fired a ballistic missile at the airport and claimed it hit its target, according to Al Jazeera [8].

The deadliest attack came on Saturday, 10 October. On Sunday, 11 October, a projectile struck Terminal 4, killing one person and injuring 11, The Guardian reported on 11 October [2].

Late on Monday, 12 October, the Houthis said they had hit the airport with a ballistic missile, Reuters reported on 12 October [9]. That is a Houthi claim. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a missile aimed at Riyadh, according to Reuters [9].

Chart: Selected dated attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, 18 SeptemberΓÇô12 October 2026. Sources: Al Jazeera (9 Oct) [8], AP (12 Oct) [1], The Guardian (11 Oct) [2] and Reuters via Al-Monitor (12 Oct) [9]. The 12 October entry is a Houthi claim that Saudi Arabia says it intercepted. The chart shows only events with a specific date in the cited reporting and is not a complete record.

The death toll

The figures reported so far cover different attacks and different points in time:

• 10 October strike: at least 13 people were killed and more than 300 wounded, the AP reported on 12 October [1]. Reuters also reported 13 dead on 12 October [9]. The Epoch Times, citing Saudi authorities, put the injured at 309 on 13 October [11]. ABC News (Australia) reported 12 deaths on 11 October [4]. That was an early count of the same attack.
• 11 October Terminal 4 strike: 1 killed and 11 injured, The Guardian reported [2].
• Riyadh airport, week total: 18 killed, Khaleej Times reported, citing GACA [10].
• Riyadh and Abha airports combined: at least 20 killed, including a Saudia pilot, The National reported on 12 October [3].

Saudi inquiry into air defenses

The AP reported on 12 October that Saudi Arabia has opened an investigation into why its air defenses failed to stop the 10 October strike [1]. Early findings point to drones being sent ahead of cruise and ballistic missiles, the AP reported [1]. These details come only from officials the AP did not name. Groksinews has found no on-record Saudi statement about the inquiry or its findings.

Airport status

A notice to air missions (NOTAM) issued Monday, 12 October, closes the airport until 21:00 GMT (5 p.m. ET) on Saturday, 17 October, Reuters reported [9]. GACA said the closure is to complete procedures that verify the safety and operational readiness of the airport's facilities [9]. No reopening date has been announced. An earlier deadline, through Tuesday, 13 October, reported by The National [3], has passed.

According to Reuters, Lufthansa cancelled Riyadh flights through 16 October and Air France-KLM suspended service until the end of October [9]. TravelDailyNews reported on 13 October that Gulf Air cancelled Riyadh services from 12 to 17 October and that Etihad suspended Saudi flights through 13 October [13]. TravelDailyNews also reported that Cathay Pacific had pushed back plans to 31 January 2027 and that Delta delayed a planned new route to March 2027. These are delays to planned routes, not suspensions of existing Riyadh service [13].

Context: the war in Yemen

The airport attacks followed a Saudi-led coalition offensive against the Houthis in Yemen, ABC News (Australia) reported on 11 October [4]. Al Jazeera described the Houthis as facing an offensive by the Riyadh-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government [8]. ABC also reported that the Houthis have struck the airport in Aden [4].

On the Yemeni side, the Houthi-run health ministry said 107 people were killed and 278 wounded in 13 provinces between 3 September and 12 October, Houthi-run Al Masirah reported [14]. Groksinews could not independently verify these figures.

On Tuesday, 13 October, the coalition struck the Yemen Petroleum Company's al-Sabaha fuel depot on the outskirts of Sanaa. The strike came after the coalition warned civilians to stay away from the site, Reuters reported [15]. In a statement, the coalition said the operation targeted sites in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar that the Houthis were using to "supply its arsenal of missiles and drones," according to Reuters [15]. The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company said the facility held no petroleum stocks at the time, Reuters and the BBC reported [15][16]. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said that after the strike, four missiles and two drones were intercepted near Riyadh, the BBC reported [16].

Asked whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday, 10 October: "We may. We're going to look at it," the AP reported [17].

Iran offers to help start talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Sunday, 11 October, Al Jazeera reported on 12 October [5]. Al Jazeera quoted a statement from Tehran in which Araghchi said: "Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation" [5]. He said Iran was ready to help start dialogue "between Saudi Arabia and Yemen," according to Al Jazeera and Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency [5][7]. The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, described this as an offer to mediate SaudiΓÇôHouthi talks [6].

The Saudi foreign ministry's readout, posted on X and carried by the Saudi Press Agency, said the two ministers "discussed the recent escalation in the region and the efforts being made to address it." It did not mention mediation, Al Arabiya reported on 12 October [12]. Saudi Arabia has not publicly responded to the offer.

What we know

According to the reporting cited above:

• The 10 October strike killed at least 13 people.
• Khaleej Times, citing GACA, puts the week's Riyadh airport total at 18.
• The National counts at least 20 when attacks on Abha airport are included.
• The airport is closed until at least 17 October.
• Saudi Arabia is investigating its air-defense response, the AP reported, citing unnamed officials.
• Iran has said it is ready to help start talks. The Saudi readout of the 11 October call did not mention this.

Sources

[1] Associated Press, Riyadh airport strike and Saudi air-defense probe, 12 Oct 2026. https://apnews.com/article/saudi-yemen-houthis-riyadh-airport-40c6ab822df376688ce1a0955a044488 [2] The Guardian, "Riyadh airport hit again after deadly Houthi missile attack, Saudi authorities say," 11 Oct 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/11/saudi-coalition-retaliation-houthi-attack-riyadh-airport [3] The National, Riyadh airport victims of Houthi missile attacks, 12 Oct 2026. https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/gulf/2026/10/12/riyadh-airport-victims-houthi-missile-attacks/ [4] ABC News (Australia), Saudi airport attacked, 11 Oct 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-11/saudi-airport-attacked-twelve-dead/107252320 [5] Al Jazeera, "Iran urges Saudi Arabia to pursue diplomacy after Houthis escalate attacks," 12 Oct 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/irans-fm-urges-diplomacy-in-call-with-saudi-counterpart [6] The Jerusalem Post / Reuters, "Iran offers to mediate Saudi-Houthi talks during foreign ministers' call," 12 Oct 2026. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-911479 [7] Mehr News Agency, "Iran ready to help start dialogue btw S. Arabia, Yemen: FM," 12 Oct 2026. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/248499/Iran-ready-to-help-start-dialogue-btw-S-Arabia-Yemen-FM [8] Al Jazeera, "Saudi Arabia reopens Riyadh airport after Houthi attack kills three," 9 Oct 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/saudi-arabia-reopens-riyadh-airport-after-houthi-attack-kills-three [9] Reuters (via Al-Monitor), "Saudi capital's airport to remain shut this week as airlines cancel services," 12 Oct 2026. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/10/saudi-capitals-airport-remain-shut-week-airlines-cancel-services [10] Khaleej Times, Riyadh King Khalid International Airport attack toll, Oct 2026. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mena/riyadh-king-khalid-international-airport-attack-october-11-2026-toll [11] The Epoch Times, "Saudi Arabia Extends Riyadh Airport Closure After Deadly Houthi Strikes," 13 Oct 2026. https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/saudi-arabia-extends-riyadh-airport-closure-after-deadly-houthi-strikes-6103077 [12] Al Arabiya, "Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers discuss regional escalation," 12 Oct 2026. https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/10/12/saudi-iranian-foreign-ministers-discuss-regional-escalation- [13] TravelDailyNews, "Riyadh Airport closure extended to 17 October after attacks," 13 Oct 2026. https://www.traveldailynews.com/aviation/riyadh-airport-closure-airline-flight-suspensions-october-2026/ [14] Al Masirah (Houthi-run), "Health Ministry: 385 Casualties in Saudi Escalation Since Sept. 3," Oct 2026. https://english.masirahtv.net/post/58894/Health-Ministry-385-Casualties-in-Saudi-Escalation-Since-Sept.-3 [15] Reuters (via GV Wire), "Saudi Arabia strikes Yemen capital as Houthis vow to retaliate," 13 Oct 2026. https://gvwire.com/2026/10/13/saudi-arabia-strikes-yemen-capital-as-houthis-vow-to-retaliate/ (also via Al-Monitor: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/10/saudi-arabia-strikes-yemen-capital-houthis-vow-retaliate) [16] BBC News, "Missiles intercepted near Riyadh after Saudi coalition hits Yemen fuel depot," 13 Oct 2026. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crx2d60y1py3o [17] Associated Press (via NPR), "Trump weighs joining the fight against Houthis after Riyadh airport attack," 10 Oct 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/10/10/nx-s1-5997512/saudi-arabia-riyadh-airport-bombing-attack [18] Anadolu Agency, "Riyadh airport suspends operations after attack leaves several injured," 10 Oct 2026. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/riyadh-airport-suspends-operations-after-attack-leaves-several-injured/4084666