Three people were killed and 36 others injured in attacks on two Saudi international airports this week, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Wednesday. Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh came under attack on October 6 and 7.
GACA did not name a responsible party in its statement, attributing the casualties to attacks on airport facilities. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted both airports with ballistic missiles and drones.
The attack on Abha, near the Yemeni border, killed two female residents — one Moroccan and one Algerian — and wounded 28 others, including Saudi citizens as well as Bangladeshi and Filipino residents, GACA said. A separate strike on King Khalid airport in the capital killed a Sudanese resident and wounded eight people, including five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident.
The Saudi-led coalition said its forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh and destroyed the launch platform used in the attack, located in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The Associated Press reported it could not independently verify those claims.
The Houthis also renewed a warning to international airlines against operating flights through Saudi airspace, describing it as “a theater for our military operations,” while excluding the airspace around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Inside Yemen, the Houthis said they targeted a military supply convoy near Aden International Airport. Yemeni government officials said ballistic missiles and drones struck the airport, with one missile landing near the runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive, forcing the aircraft to divert to Jeddah.
The attacks prompted a security alert from the US Mission in Saudi Arabia, warning American citizens of potential drone and missile attacks and advising them to be aware of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.
The strikes come amid a sharp escalation in Yemen's conflict, which flared up in July 2026 shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire unraveled, with Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have since pressed a counteroffensive aimed at rolling back Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast.
The escalation has also driven deeper regional defense coordination. Pakistan confirmed this week that its forces are already stationed in Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, a pact that includes a provision treating an attack on one member as an attack on all.
GACA's account of three dead and 36 injured, the Houthi claim of responsibility, the US security alert and the Pakistani deployment confirmation are all on the record. The full extent of damage at the two airports remains unclear, the coalition's interception account has not been independently verified, and it is not yet known how international airlines will respond to the Houthi airspace warning. Further updates from GACA and coalition spokespeople are awaited.