Houthi Strike Kills One at Riyadh Airport After Deadly Attack

A renewed Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed one person and injured 11, Saudi authorities said Sunday, October 11, 2026. The projectile struck a passenger terminal in the Saudi capital, triggering a fire and intensifying concerns about the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen-based armed group.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation identified the fatality as a Pakistani resident. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, said air defenses intercepted a missile near the airport while emergency teams responded to a fire caused by an unidentified projectile at Passenger Hall No. 4.

The latest incident followed Saturday's attack, which killed at least 12 people and injured 309, according to figures cited by CNBC and Al Jazeera. The Saudi civil aviation authority initially reported 13 deaths, while subsequent reports gave different casualty totals. The Saturday strike was described as the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

The attacks have disrupted airport operations and prompted renewed warnings to airlines and travelers. Saudi authorities have also faced growing pressure to strengthen defenses against missiles and drones targeting the kingdom's airports and energy infrastructure.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they had launched ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against Saudi targets. Their military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, also reported attacks on oil facilities and Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia.

The group warned airlines, airport employees and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace, excluding facilities in Mecca and Medina. Saree said the group would continue its escalating operations inside Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi campaign follows renewed fighting in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia supports internationally recognized government forces against the Iran-backed movement. The Houthis have said their attacks are retaliation for Saudi military operations in Yemen and an airstrike on Sanaa airport, although Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the reported attack on the Yemeni facility.

Saudi Arabia's coalition described Saturday's airport attack as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and pledged a response. The renewed strikes have also raised questions about the effectiveness of Saudi air defenses, which include advanced systems designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles.

Security analysts told Al Jazeera that the Houthis combine different types of missiles and drones to complicate interception. Nawaf Obaid, a senior fellow in the War Studies Department at King's College London, said occasional breaches were possible even with multilayered defenses, while Wolfgang Pusztai, a security policy and defense analyst, pointed to the challenge of maintaining interceptor supplies.

Saudi Arabia and other US partners have faced pressure on stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptor munitions during the wider regional conflict. The exact type of projectile that struck Riyadh airport remained unclear, and the size of the Houthis' remaining missile arsenal was not publicly established.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Washington was considering whether to join Saudi military operations against the Houthis. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said, "We may. We're going to look at it.

We just found out about the recent attack. So, we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."

His remarks left open the possibility of direct US military involvement in the renewed campaign.

Two Saudi government officials told CNBC that Riyadh had requested urgent defense support from Washington following the attacks. The officials said they wanted the United States to intervene as soon as possible, although the White House had not immediately responded to CNBC's request for comment.

The United Kingdom also signaled that additional assistance was possible. British officials issued travel warnings covering parts of Saudi Arabia, including areas within 10 kilometers of the border with Yemen, as Western governments assessed the risks to their citizens.

The escalation comes after a temporary ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces, brokered in 2022, collapsed in July 2026. Recent fighting has followed advances by Houthi forces along strategically important parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast and subsequent operations by government-aligned forces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart Sunday that Tehran was prepared to assist efforts to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, referring to the Houthi administration. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia planned to proceed with the five-day WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, according to the Saudi energy ministry, despite the attacks near the airport.