The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, announced on Friday, October 10, 2026, that it had carried out a large-scale operation against Houthi forces along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, destroying 136 military targets, according to the official Saudi Press Agency and Arab News.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the strikes also destroyed three rocket launch platforms used by the Houthi militia and that air support hit Houthi fighters attempting to take cover as Yemeni government forces advanced in the Bab al-Mandab area, including on Mayun Island, Arab News reported. He said the coalition was "working to dismantle and destroy the ballistic missile network of the terrorist Houthi militia."
Missile strike on Riyadh's airport
The coalition operation came two days after a Houthi missile attack on a Saudi airport. Al Jazeera reported that a Houthi ballistic missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 8, 2026, killing three people, including airline pilot Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, and wounding dozens of others of different nationalities. The strike also damaged a Saudia Airlines aircraft, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said, according to Al Jazeera. Airport operations later resumed and air traffic returned to normal, according to Saudi media reports cited by Al Jazeera.
How the conflict escalated
According to a background summary on Wikipedia, a 2022 ceasefire between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council had largely held before collapsing in 2026. The breakdown followed the February 28, 2026 US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which the Houthis joined on March 28 in support of Tehran. Tensions rose further after the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran on July 14; the Houthis declared the ceasefire over after Yemeni government and Saudi forces struck Sanaa airport's runway on July 13 to prevent a flight carrying Iranian commanders from landing.
The same summary states the Houthis launched a wider offensive in Taiz governorate on September 3, 2026, and by mid-September had seized Mokha, Hays, Al Khawkhah and the Hanish Islands, claiming control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia, the United States and allied forces back the Presidential Leadership Council, while Pakistan and Turkey have also contributed military support, according to Wikipedia's summary of the conflict.
Key events, October 8–10, 2026| Date | Event | Reported casualties/damage | Source |
|---|
| Oct 8 (Thu) | Missile strike on King Khalid Airport, Riyadh | 3 killed (incl. a pilot), dozens wounded, aircraft damaged | Al Jazeera |
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| Oct 10 (Fri) | Saudi-led coalition operation on Red Sea coast/Bab al-Mandab | 136 military targets and 3 rocket launchers destroyed (Houthi side) | SPA / Arab News |
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Arab News reported that Saudi Arabia's UN envoy said the Kingdom would not allow Yemen to become a staging ground for threats to its security or to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, while Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its support for a political settlement and for Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Questions
- Why did the Saudi-led coalition strike Houthi targets on October 10, 2026?
- The coalition said the operation targeted Houthi military capabilities, including rocket launch platforms, along the Red Sea coast and Bab al-Mandab Strait, after a Houthi missile attack on a Saudi airport days earlier, according to Arab News and the Saudi Press Agency.
- How many Houthi targets were destroyed?
- The coalition reported 136 military targets destroyed in Houthi-controlled areas, plus three rocket launch platforms, per the Saudi Press Agency and Arab News.
- How many people died in the Houthi attack on Riyadh's airport?
- Al Jazeera reported that three people, including airline pilot Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, were killed and dozens of others of different nationalities were wounded when a Houthi ballistic missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 8, 2026.
- What triggered the wider 2026 escalation between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces?
- According to Wikipedia's summary, the 2022 ceasefire collapsed after the Houthis joined Iran's side in the US-Israeli war on Iran that began February 28, 2026, and tensions rose further after a US naval blockade on Iran and a strike on Sanaa airport's runway in July 2026.
- Who else is involved militarily besides Saudi Arabia and the Houthis?
- The Presidential Leadership Council is backed by Saudi Arabia, the United States and allied forces, with Pakistan and Turkey also providing military support, according to the Wikipedia summary of the conflict.
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