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Houthis Claim Responsibility for Riyadh Airport Attacks, Disrupting Air Traffic

7:13 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, causing severe disruptions to air traffic.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 8, 2026, which disrupted air traffic and caused extensive damage to airport facilities.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 169 of the airport’s 378 scheduled departures were canceled or did not operate that day, while several international carriers suspended services to the Saudi capital.

The Saudi-led coalition intercepted two ballistic missiles over Riyadh, and the Houthis confirmed that one of their aircraft was damaged while parked at the airport, with no passengers on board.

The attack came after earlier strikes on Riyadh and Abha airports on October 6 and 7, 2026, which Saudi aviation authorities said killed three people and injured 36.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthis, announced on social media platform X that the group conducted a 'military operation with ballistic missiles and drones' aimed at the Aramco site.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces, reported that these operations targeted 'at least 260 Houthi fighters' and resulted in the destruction or immobilisation of 44 military vehicles.

The Saudi-led coalition outlined that its forces had executed 97 'precise targeting operations' against Houthi reinforcements.

The conflict is drawing in more regional powers, with intense fighting taking place among the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and the city of Taiz.

The Yemeni government announced on Sunday that the campaign's overall objective is to retake all of the territory it has lost to the Houthis over 12 years of war.

More than 200,000 people have already been displaced from the conflict, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The Riyadh airport Houthi attack highlights the vulnerability of major transport hubs during regional conflicts.

The group’s claims and official confirmation of damage must be distinguished as authorities continue to assess the attacks.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports mark a sharp escalation of the war in neighbouring Yemen Saudi authorities said Wednesday that three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs.
• “On Tuesday and Wednesday … Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport were subjected to attacks targeting their facilities,” the kingdom’s civil aviation authority said in a statement.
• An Egyptian and an Algerian national were killed at Abha airport and a Sudanese national was killed at the airport in Riyadh, the agency said, with 36 people wounded in the attacks.
• The Iran-backed fighters earlier took responsibility for a flurry of attacks that included firing a ballistic missile at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport as the conflict deepens with Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen’s government.

What's still developing

• The announcement follows reports by Reuters that a Saudia aircraft had sustained extensive damage and caught fire while parked at an airport terminal.
• This announcement comes as fighting intensifies between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the internationally recognised government of Yemen, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
• Thu, Sep 03, 2026 | Rabi al-Awwal 22, 1448 | Fajr 04:42 | DXB 32.6 °C The UAE has rejected allegations by Sudan that an Emirati drone was involved in an attack on Khartoum airport, describing the accusations as “unfounded” and part of a “deliberate propaganda” campaign.
• Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels The official added that the allegations were “part of a calculated pattern of deflection”, accusing the PSA of “shifting blame to others to evade responsibility for their own actions”.
• Mohammed, a 33-year-old charity worker who fled from Mocha to Aden, told AFP on Tuesday that "people there are terrified" of the Houthis.
• On Wednesday, new clashes in Yemen's west left at least 62 combatants dead, including 37 Houthis, military sources from both camps told AFP.
• Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that has been fighting the Houthis since 2015, and is now trying to roll back the group's latest advance.
• It also called for stronger international institutional support for Palestine and reaffirmed Israel’s legal responsibility to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.
• The BRICS nations unanimously approved the 45-page New Delhi Declaration on Saturday at the summit led by India, expressing concerns about “the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures” and backing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Earlier this week, Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, began a counter-offensive to retake Red Sea coastal territory that the Houthis captured last month.
• In a statement, a UAE official said the country has noted a “marked increase” in what it described as baseless accusations from the Port Sudan Authority (PSA).
• The UAE also called on the PSA to “cease misusing international platforms” and instead focus on “ending its role in harming and killing the Sudanese people during this devastating civil war”.

Sources

• AirGuide Businesslink
• Indianewsnetworklink
• Newindianexpresslink
• Khaleejtimeslink
• Scmplink
• Middleeasteyelink
• Hindustan Timeslink
• WarpBeat — background on Houthi Attacks on Riyadh Airport Leave 3 Dead, Saudi Arabia Says link
• WarpBeat — background on Houthis Claim Responsibility for Riyadh Airport Attacks link
• CNN — video link