Riyadh Airport Attack Kills 12 as Saudi-Led Coalition Vows Retaliation

An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured 309 others on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said, as the Saudi-led coalition blamed Yemen’s Houthi rebels and vowed a decisive response.

Four Saudi nationals were among those killed, along with two Bangladeshis and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, the aviation authority said. Some of the 309 injured were in critical condition, and the wounded were being treated at several hospitals.

The coalition described the attack on the passenger terminal as a “full-fledged war crime.” Its spokesman, Major General Turki al-Malki, accused the Houthi militia of carrying out what he called a cowardly terrorist attack that caused civilian passenger and airport staff casualties.

Al-Malki said the coalition would “respond decisively.” On Sunday, he reported that coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Al-Kharj Governorate. He later said a drone had also been intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province.

Airport operations were suspended after Saturday’s attack, and authorities began assessing the damage. Several witnesses said people were being evacuated from the airport, which urged passengers to check their flight status.

One passenger told AFP that a strike had hit the domestic terminal while they were waiting to board.

“I was on gate 403,” the witness said. “I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.”

A medical source told AFP that health officials had activated an unusual mass call-up of doctors to deal with the “serious emergency situation.” Two doctors told the agency that several pilgrims traveling to Mecca were among the wounded.

Schools in Riyadh moved to remote learning for the second time in a month. Parents received emails on Sunday, seen by AFP, citing an Education Ministry order requiring all schools in the capital to conduct classes remotely for the entire week.

The United States, Canada, Germany and Spain warned their citizens to stay away from the airport. A senior Western diplomat told AFP that several embassies were prohibiting their staff from using the facility “over the next week.”

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, all flights to Riyadh had been diverted or canceled. Kuwait Airways also announced the cancellation of two flights connecting Kuwait and the Saudi capital, citing the security situation.

“Kuwait Airways announces that flight KU775 from Kuwait to Riyadh and flight KU776 from Riyadh to Kuwait have been cancelled today, Saturday, October 10, 2026, due to the closure of the airport as a result of the security situation,” the airline said in an online statement.

Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines had already suspended flights to and from Saudi airports after Thursday’s attack. The Houthis had warned international airlines they could face consequences if they continued operating in Saudi airspace.

The latest strike followed Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s airport on Thursday that killed three people and damaged an aircraft. The group claimed responsibility for that series of attacks but had not immediately acknowledged carrying out any new strikes on Saturday.

Saturday’s attack was the deadliest on Saudi soil since May 2015, when a suicide bombing by the Islamic State jihadist group killed 21 worshippers at a Shia mosque in the eastern Qatif governorate.

The latest violence has raised concerns about a broader escalation as the conflict in Yemen intensifies following the collapse in July of a four-year, United Nations-brokered truce. The breakdown came months into a wider war in the Middle East that has disrupted energy supplies and markets.

Saudi Arabia has led an international coalition providing military support to Yemen’s government since 2015 and is now becoming more deeply involved in the conflict in its impoverished neighbor. The latest wave of Houthi attacks against the kingdom has been unprecedented since the truce collapsed.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington could join Saudi military strikes against the Houthis. Asked whether the United States might take part, Trump told reporters, “We may. We're going to look at it.”

He said the administration had only just learned of the latest attack and would decide quickly. Trump also said he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, describing the events in the kingdom as “not acceptable.” US media outlets have reported that previous Saudi requests for American military assistance against the Houthis were rejected.

The attack prompted condemnation from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who called it a “heinous attack” and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to Saudi security under their defense pact.

The incident came shortly before Saudi Arabia’s major convention and entertainment season begins this month. Riyadh typically hosts a busy schedule of events, including its flagship investment conference, which attracts foreign leaders and prominent business figures.

Meanwhile, Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen were advancing against the Houthis in areas the rebels captured last month near the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources told AFP. The Yemeni government announced a counteroffensive last week aimed at recapturing all territory held by the Houthis.

The Houthis confirmed that government forces had attacked in the Bab al-Mandab area, a strategic passage for Red Sea oil and cargo shipping, but claimed they had repelled the offensive. Claims by both sides have been difficult to verify independently as fighting continues to shift rapidly and journalists face limited access to the area.