Houthi missile attack on Saudi airport wounds 26: Saudi-led coalition

 

Saudi Airport Attacks Kill Three as Yemen Fighting Escalates

RIYADH — October 7, 2026 

 Three people were killed and dozens wounded in attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia as fighting intensified in Yemen between Iran-aligned Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government forces.

Saudi civil aviation authorities said one person was killed and eight wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Two people were killed and 28 wounded in a separate attack on facilities at Abha airport.

The authorities said one attack occurred on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday but did not specify which incident happened on each day.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the attacks would not go unanswered. It later said it had struck more than 80 Houthi military sites in the Yemeni governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.

The Houthi attacks were part of a wider series of strikes against aviation infrastructure. Yemen’s Transport Ministry said Houthi forces attacked Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and drones carrying explosives.

One missile landed near the runway just minutes before a flight from Cairo was scheduled to arrive, according to the ministry. Aden is the main international airport serving areas of Yemen outside Houthi control.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport with several drones. The Saudi-led coalition also said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh.

The coalition said it had tracked the missile launch platform in Houthi-controlled Sanaa and would destroy it, but did not provide further details about damage or casualties.

Fighting intensifies around Bab el-Mandeb

The latest violence comes as battles intensify around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The route has become increasingly important for energy and commercial shipping as the wider conflict between the United States and Iran has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, launched a counteroffensive this week to retake strategic territory near Bab el-Mandeb and the town of Mocha. The Houthis had captured the areas in September, although it remains uncertain whether government forces can maintain their advances.

Fighting in Yemen has been linked to the wider U.S.-Iran conflict and has revived a long-running war that has fragmented the country and produced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced since the latest fighting began, according to the International Organization for Migration. IOM Director General Amy Pope said people were fleeing for safety while humanitarian needs for food and shelter were increasing.

The United Nations has also reported severe food insecurity in parts of Yemen, with three out of four families going hungry in some areas. Both sides have reported that hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting, although detailed casualty figures have not been provided.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including airports, oil refineries and pipelines. Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the region.

Saudi Arabia seeks outside support

Saudi Arabia has been seeking international assistance as it attempts to push back the Houthi advance near the strategic maritime route.

Turkey is providing mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia, according to officials. The assistance follows a new defence agreement involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

Syria is also considering whether to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. and Syrian officials. Options under discussion include defensive support for the kingdom or the possible deployment of forces to assist Saudi-backed Yemeni troops.

A U.S. official said Saudi Arabia had requested that Syria send forces to fight the Houthis. A Syrian diplomat said Syria strongly supported Saudi Arabia in response to Houthi attacks but that Damascus was primarily focused on recovering from its own civil war.

On Yemen's western front, fighting has remained concentrated around Dhubab, an area overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Pro-government forces have been trying to advance into strategic hills east of the coastal plain.

The Yemeni government said on Monday that its forces had reached Mocha, which lies near a supply route toward the important battlefield around Taiz. Yemeni military officials and analysts on the ground later said the claim had come too early.

A long-running conflict

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a military coalition against them. Riyadh has long viewed the Houthi movement as a security threat and has accused Iran of providing weapons, training and funding to the group.

The Houthis reject claims that they are simply an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons. Iran also denies allegations that it directly arms, trains or funds the group.

The latest escalation has now extended beyond Yemen’s battlefields, with attacks on airports in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia raising concerns about the safety of civilian aviation and the stability of a key regional shipping corridor.