The Houthis attacked Riyadh’s international airport for the second time in two days, killing one person and injuring 11 others. A military spokesperson said the Houthis hit the passenger hall on 11 October, BBC reports. Saudi civil aviation officials said the victim was a Pakistani resident.
The group attacked the airport a day after it killed 13 people at the airport and injured a further 308. The Houthis carried out several more strikes earlier the same week.
On Sunday, Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition, said air defences intercepted a missile near Riyadh airport, but one of the projectiles struck Passenger Terminal No. 4.
The Houthis warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi Arabia’s airspace. The group claims it struck the airport with cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. It also attacked oil plants and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, their military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said. He described all Saudi airports as potential targets, except those located in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Last Saturday’s strike on Riyadh was the deadliest since the start of the military confrontation between the US and Israel against Iran. The coalition called for a response, describing the attack as a war crime.
A truce between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces had been in place from 2022 until July 2026. It ended amid the war between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and US-Israeli forces. The conflict escalated after the Houthis rapidly seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coastline, prompting Saudi strikes. Later, Yemen’s pro-government forces said they had regained control of those areas.
The Houthis currently control about a quarter of Yemen’s territory and up to 80% of the country’s population. The armed group is backed by Iran and says it intends to seize the rest of the territory.