RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, October 7, 2026 — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they had targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital with a ballistic missile, while the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a missile launched toward northern Riyadh.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement posted on X that the group’s forces had struck the airport and claimed the attack disrupted air traffic at the facility. “Our armed forces have just targeted King Khalid Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile,” the statement said, describing the strike as precise.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward northern Riyadh had been intercepted and destroyed. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm whether the airport itself had been hit or whether air traffic was affected.
Explosions heard near the airport
Residents in northern Riyadh reported loud blasts near the airport, and an AFP journalist said a “powerful explosion” was heard in the area. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported frequent temporary disruptions to flights around the Saudi capital during the latest attacks, trade sources monitoring regional aviation said.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a broader statement condemning continued Houthi attacks on Riyadh and other cities, saying the group had targeted “civilian and economic facilities” and reiterating the kingdom’s right to respond.
A widening barrage
The Houthis also said their forces had launched drone and missile attacks on several other Saudi targets, including Abha International Airport, the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, the Aqeefah military camp in the Asir region, and what the group called “sensitive sites” in Najran and Jizan. State media reported that the coalition had separately intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait earlier on Wednesday.
It was the second time this week that the Houthis claimed to have targeted King Khalid International Airport. On Monday night, the group said it had carried out three operations using “a large number” of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones — one against the Riyadh airport, one against an Aramco refinery in Rabigh where the group claimed fires broke out, and a third against airports and military bases in the south.
Escalation on all fronts
The strike claims come as Yemen’s conflict enters its sharpest escalation since the 2022 UN-brokered truce. Yemen’s internationally recognised government launched a major offensive on Sunday to reclaim Houthi-held territory, with Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi calling it a “battle of liberation,” and Saudi-led coalition aircraft have pounded Houthi targets in Sanaa, Saada and Taiz.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed that airports in Jizan and Najran had been hit on Monday evening, leaving three people lightly injured and causing material damage. The UAE’s foreign ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned the Houthis’ continued targeting of Saudi civilian facilities and vessels, calling it a violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and reaffirming “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has renewed a warning that photographing, publishing or circulating information about missile and drone interception operations or impact sites could result in legal action. The warning was first issued earlier in the war and was republished by Saudi media shortly after midnight amid the latest attacks.
Regional markets on edge
The fighting has unsettled Gulf markets. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul index slipped 0.2 per cent in early trading on Wednesday, weighed down by a 0.6 per cent fall in Al Rajhi Bank, while Dubai’s main share index edged up 0.1 per cent, Reuters reported. The escalation continues to threaten shipping and aviation across the region as international carriers reroute around Gulf airspace.
