The Iran-backed Houthi militia attacked one of Saudi Arabia’s busiest airports again on Saturday, injuring a number of people and disrupting flights, as the Yemeni group dramatically escalates its campaign against the kingdom.
The Saudi civil aviation agency said it was still tallying the injuries and assessing damage at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital. Repeated, deadly attacks in recent days on the city’s airport and other civilian infrastructure have struck at the heart of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitions to turn the city into a global travel and business hub.
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to questions about details of the attack, but a reporter for The New York Times saw backed-up traffic and several ambulances heading toward the airport, where the police had blocked off roads.
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, along with other Western embassies, urged its citizens to avoid the area and warned of travel disruption. With just a day to go before a major global energy conference, many flights heading to the airport were diverted on Saturday afternoon, according to data from Flightradar24, a flight-tracking service. » | Vivian Nereim and Euan Ward | Vivian Nereim reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Euan Ward from Beirut, Lebanon. | Saturday, October 10, 2026
