Houthis again say they struck Riyadh airport with ballistic missile
Militia spokesman said the missile "precisely" hit the airport and urged airlines to avoid Saudi airspace.
On October 8, 2026, the Iran-aligned Houthi militia said it struck Riyadh’s main international airport with a ballistic missile, a claim that came one day after attacks on Saudi airports that killed three people. The statement was posted by Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree on the social platform X.
Houthi claim and warnings to carriers
Saree said the missile had "precisely" hit its target and disrupted operations at the airport. He also warned airlines about using Saudi airspace and urged them to halt flights.
"For the last time we renew our call and warning to all international airlines to no longer operate flights through Saudi airspace," he wrote.
Saudi authorities said three people were killed in the previous day’s strikes on airports in Riyadh and the southern city of Abha, and that 36 others were wounded. At King Khalid International Airport a Sudanese national was killed, while the fatalities in Abha were an Egyptian and an Algerian; the injured were treated in hospital with injuries described as ranging from minor to severe.
The Saudi-led coalition publicly accused the Houthis of carrying out the attacks and said it would retaliate. In a post on X the coalition said, "The brutal attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia against civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom ... will not go unpunished." The coalition also announced it had struck back and destroyed 82 "legitimate military targets," including Houthi facilities in mountainous areas intended for ballistic missiles, command-and-control centres and communications systems.
The offensive follows months of intensified Houthi operations. The militia controls large swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, and in September seized large parts of the western Yemeni coast. It has stepped up attacks on tankers, oil facilities and airports inside Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces say they have launched a counter-offensive and have pushed Houthi fighters from strategically important areas along the Red Sea and the port city of Mocha.
Since hostilities resumed in July, the United Nations estimates more than 200,000 people have been displaced. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday that 201,217 people have been forced from their homes, and that 197,755 of them were displaced since the start of September.
Photo: arhiva
