Houthi Attacks on Riyadh Airport Kill 3 Saudi Nationals, Injure Several Others

• Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority confirmed that two separate attacks hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday
• Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility, saying it fired two cruise missiles at the airport amid the ongoing Yemen civil war
• The attacks caused material damage and injured multiple people, with casualties ranging from minor to severe injuries

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed on Friday that three Saudi nationals died and several others were injured after two attacks hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh the previous day.

The authority said in a statement on X that the first attack hit airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to Saudia, the country's national carrier.

Injuries among the wounded ranged from minor to severe, and both strikes caused significant material damage.

The authority added that operations at the airport have since resumed and air traffic returned to normal.

Houthis claim responsibility for Riyadh strike

Yemen's Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran, claimed on Thursday that it carried out the assault using two cruise missiles aimed at the Riyadh airport.

The group also said it targeted an airport in Najran, a city in south-western Saudi Arabia, though Saudi authorities have not confirmed that claim. The Houthis additionally said they launched ballistic missiles at an airbase in Khamis Mushait.

The group says its attacks on Saudi Arabia are a response to the kingdom's backing of government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war. Saudi Arabia maintains that it is supporting Yemen's UN-recognised government as it works to reclaim territory held by the Houthis.

A deadly week for Saudi airports

The Thursday attacks were not the first this week. Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that three people were killed in earlier strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha airport in the country's south-west, bringing the confirmed death toll from the ongoing exchange to at least six.

The widening conflict is seen as an extension of broader tensions between the United States and Iran, adding another layer of instability to an already volatile region and raising concerns about the potential involvement of additional states in the fighting.

Explosions heard across Saudi Arabia's capital

Legit.ng earlier reported that multiple explosions rang out across Riyadh on the morning of Thursday, October 8, according to witnesses in the Saudi capital, as fighting between the kingdom and Yemen's Houthi fighters continued to intensify.