Three people were killed and multiple others were wounded on October 8, 2026, when Yemen's Houthi movement struck King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, according to Saudi aviation authorities cited by Al Jazeera and Fox News.
What happened
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the attack caused casualties, injuries and property damage, and that emergency teams responded according to established protocol, Fox News reported. Fox News described two separate strikes: one that hit airport facilities and a second that struck a parked Saudia aircraft that had no passengers on board at the time.
A Houthi military spokesperson said the group fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid airport that "successfully hit its intended target, causing damage and disrupting air traffic," Al Jazeera reported, citing the Houthi statement. The group said the strike damaged a Saudia aircraft along with other airport infrastructure.
Casualties
GACA said the dead included Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, a pilot for Saudi national carrier Saudia, and two other Saudi citizens, according to Al Jazeera. Several people of different nationalities were wounded, with injuries ranging from minor to severe, Al Jazeera and Fox News both reported.
Casualty figures and victim identities differ by outlet. Al Jazeera and Fox News, citing GACA, said all three deaths occurred at King Khalid airport in Riyadh and named the Saudia pilot and two other Saudi citizens as the victims. Time reported a different breakdown spread across two Saudi airports that week: one death and eight wounded at King Khalid in Riyadh, and two deaths and 28 wounded at Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Time identified the person killed at King Khalid as a Sudanese national, a different identification than the one given by Al Jazeera and Fox News.
Reported casualty figures by source| Source | Riyadh (King Khalid) deaths | Other airport deaths | Total wounded |
|---|
| Al Jazeera / Fox News | 3 | Not reported | Several (severity not totaled) |
|---|
| Time | 1 | 2 (Abha airport) | 36 |
|---|
Airport operations resumed and air traffic returned to normal later the same day, GACA said, according to both Al Jazeera and Fox News.
Why the Houthis targeted the airport
Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis described the strikes as part of a blockade campaign against Saudi airports, which the group said was retaliation for Saudi attacks on airports in Sanaa and Hodeidah, two Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The group has warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace except over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Al Jazeera reported.
Part of a wider war
The attack is the latest escalation in a regional conflict that Time traced back to February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel struck Iran. Time reported that fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis intensified in June 2026 and that the group launched a major offensive around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in September 2026, with more than 200,000 people displaced in Yemen since June.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August 2026, with Turkey providing what Time described as defensive and technical support. Time also reported that U.S. President Trump has declined requests for direct American strikes on the Houthis, offering intelligence support instead, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had lost control over the strait as the U.S. Navy escorted vessels through it.
U.S. reaction
Fox News reported that the U.S. State Department condemned the Houthi airport attacks as terrorism and said Washington remained in close contact with its Saudi partners and committed to the kingdom's security.
Questions
- What happened at Riyadh's airport?
- A Houthi ballistic missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 8, 2026, hitting airport facilities and a parked Saudia aircraft, killing three people and wounding several others, according to Saudi aviation authorities and Al Jazeera.
- Who was killed?
- Al Jazeera, citing Saudi civil aviation authorities, named the dead as Saudia pilot Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami and two other Saudi citizens. Time reported a different breakdown in which only one of the three deaths that week occurred at King Khalid, identifying that victim as a Sudanese national, with the other two deaths at Abha airport.
- Who claimed responsibility?
- Yemen's Houthi movement claimed the strike, saying it fired a ballistic missile that hit its intended target at the airport, according to a Houthi military spokesperson cited by Al Jazeera.
- Why did the Houthis attack Saudi airports?
- The Houthis said the strikes were retaliation for Saudi attacks on airports in Houthi-held Sanaa and Hodeidah, and warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace except over Mecca and Medina, per Al Jazeera.
- Is the airport operating again?
- Yes. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said operations resumed and air traffic returned to normal the same day, according to Al Jazeera and Fox News.
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