Houthi Riyadh airport attacks on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, killed three Saudi citizens and set a parked Saudia jet on fire, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said Friday. The strikes on King Khalid International Airport marked a sharp escalation by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who have turned Saudi airports and energy sites into targets as Yemen’s civil war reignites.
In a statement on X, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said the airport was hit twice on Thursday. The first attack struck airport facilities and the second hit an aircraft belonging to state carrier Saudia. Injuries ranged from minor to severe, and operations later resumed, according to Reuters, via NBC News.
Houthi Riyadh airport attacks: what happened
Three people briefed on the matter told Reuters that shrapnel from an interception or another projectile left the Saudia plane heavily damaged after it caught fire at a terminal. No passengers were believed to be aboard. Video verified by Reuters showed a thick column of black smoke rising over the airport, Al-Monitor reported.
The Houthis said they targeted the airport with two cruise missiles, according to Reuters. They also claimed strikes on an airport in Najran, which Saudi authorities have not confirmed, and on an airbase in Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and one aimed at Khamis Mushait. Saudi officials said debris from one interception hit a kindergarten and a medical complex in the capital.
Death toll and flight disruption
Thursday’s deaths came a day after Saudi authorities said three people had been killed in earlier strikes this week on the Riyadh and Abha airports, bringing the reported toll to at least six. Aviation data firm Cirium said nearly half of Riyadh’s departures had been canceled by mid-afternoon Thursday. Lufthansa and Air India said they were suspending flights to the Saudi capital.
Several multinational companies in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District told staff to work from home after loud booms were heard Thursday morning. Some schools told parents to shelter in place, although authorities did not issue a public alert. The disruption came as Riyadh prepared to host the WPC Energy Congress this week.
Yemen’s war spills into Saudi Arabia
The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom over its support for Yemeni government forces. Saudi Arabia says it is backing an offensive by Yemen’s U.N.-recognized government to retake territory, a campaign covered in our report on the Yemen offensive against the Houthis. The group seized parts of the Red Sea coast last month, including along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and has surrounded the city of Taiz. About 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting resumed.
The group also warned workers to stay away from Saudi energy plants, saying they would be targeted. Riyadh has sought help from allies. Turkey said on Wednesday it was sending mainly defensive and technical support, including equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, following the activation of the Mecca defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey. One U.S. and one Syrian defense official told Reuters that Syria is weighing defensive or offensive support for Saudi Arabia.
What to watch next
After the earlier airport strikes this week, the coalition vowed the attacks “will not go unpunished.” Key questions now are whether the Houthis follow through on threats against oil facilities, whether more airlines suspend Riyadh service, and whether outside forces join the ground fight in Yemen, a conflict that has become an overspill of the wider U.S.-Iran war.