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Riyadh Airport Missile Strike Kills Three, Saudi Arabia Confirms — AI-generated representative image: smoke rises near a Saudi airport terminal amid reported missile strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

Editorial Team

Houthi forces claim Riyadh and Abha airport missile attacks as international carriers suspend flights amid the Yemen conflict

Saudi officials have confirmed that three Saudi nationals were killed and multiple others injured, including foreign nationals, in missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudi aircraft. Yemen's Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the attacks, which occurred on Thursday evening.

Riyadh's civil aviation authority, GACA, said in a statement issued Friday morning that operations at the airport have since been resumed.

The strikes mark a significant escalation in the renewed conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, bringing the fighting directly to the kingdom's capital and its primary international gateway. The disruption has forced almost two dozen airlines to cancel or suspend service to Riyadh, affecting regional and international air travel.

Confirmed Strikes and Casualties

The Houthis struck King Khalid International Airport with two cruise missiles on Thursday evening, according to the group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree. Houthi forces also hit Abha Airport and King Khalid Air Base with ballistic missiles.

Saree described the strikes as "precise and direct," stating they resulted in the disruption of air traffic at the two airports and caused damage to the facilities and the air base. However, the Saudi government has not acknowledged the strikes. Turki al-Maliki, head of the Saudi military coalition against the Houthis in Yemen, claimed that two missiles were intercepted before reaching Riyadh and one was intercepted before reaching King Khalid Air Base.

Approximately 40% of flights in and out of Riyadh were canceled on Thursday, with Air India and Lufthansa announcing they would not fly into the Saudi capital until next week.

Background of the Conflict

Saudi Arabia has been waging war against the Houthis since 2015, although fighting was paused by a ceasefire in 2022. Hostilities resumed in July after Saudi-backed forces struck the runway at Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from landing.

In response, the Houthis launched strikes on Saudi targets, and Saudi jets resumed large-scale airstrikes on Yemen. The current attacks on Riyadh's airport represent an expansion of this renewed escalation into the kingdom's capital region.

Statements and Video Evidence

Earlier on Thursday, Houthi forces hit King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, which Saree said "struck its target with precision and caused the disruption of airport operations." Video footage shared by the Houthis showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the airport apron, while footage circulated on social media suggested the missile landed directly on a parked aircraft belonging to Saudia airline.

Following the first strike, Saree issued what he called a "final warning to all global airlines," advising them to stay out of Saudi airspace, which he described as having "become a theater for our military operations."

Current Status and Next Steps

Airport operations in Riyadh have resumed, according to GACA's Friday statement, though the broader impact on air travel continues as carriers suspend service. The Saudi government has not officially confirmed the strikes, and further details on casualties and damage remain limited. Additional information is awaited as the situation develops.