Riyadh, October 12 – One dead in a new attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, a day after a Houthi missile strike killed 13 people and injured more than 300. Saudi-led coalition forces reported that an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 on Sunday, igniting a fire after air defences intercepted a nearby cruise missile. Civil aviation authorities confirmed injuries while assessing damage, and the airport stayed closed as flights remained suspended amid the Yemen conflict escalation.
The Saturday attack marked the deadliest on the kingdom in over a decade and the third targeting Riyadh airport that week. Casualties included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and nationals from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, with one additional death later confirmed among the wounded. The Iran-aligned Houthis claimed the strike, which also damaged infrastructure and disrupted operations at the capital’s main gateway serving millions of residents and travellers.
Houthis renewed their warning to airlines, staff, experts and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace, calling them a theatre of operations for their forces while exempting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. They stated that Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions and vowed continued action under principles of reciprocity in the ongoing war. Saudi authorities meanwhile shifted Riyadh schools to remote learning through Thursday while affirming that planned energy conferences would proceed despite the security situation.
These successive strikes highlight intensifying hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi forces in Yemen, where ground offensives and aerial campaigns have resumed after earlier ceasefire arrangements. International concern centres on risks to civilian air travel and regional stability as both sides escalate military actions across borders.