A Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 people on Sunday, Saudi authorities said. The strike followed Saturday’s deadly assault, which forced the airport to suspend operations.
Saudi aviation authorities said emergency teams took the injured to hospitals. Officials continued assessing damage and checking airport facilities.
#Statement | Follow-up on the attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
#GACA https://t.co/L7aaMrvj9P
— هيئة الطيران المدني (@ksagaca) October 11, 2026
Airport closure extended after fresh strike
The Saudi-led coalition said a projectile struck the airport, triggering a fire. Air defences intercepted another missile nearby.
The Houthis claimed multiple attacks within 24 hours, calling Saudi transit hubs “a theatre of operations for our forces”.
Authorities extended Riyadh airport’s closure by 24 hours until 2100 GMT Monday, according to Flightradar24. That corresponds to 2am Tuesday in Pakistan.
Read More: Global Oil Route at Risk as Houthis Move Closer to Bab al-Mandab
AFP journalists and residents heard several explosions.
“The birds went into a frenzy after the sound. The whole house shook,” an Al-Aarid resident said.
Saudi aviation authorities also reported an attack on Dammam airport after a projectile landed nearby the previous day. The Houthis claimed targeting it, while the coalition subsequently reported downing a drone in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Early Monday, the coalition said it had “intercepted and destroyed” a ballistic missile heading towards Khamis Mushait, a major military base.
Saturday’s casualties deepen international concern
Saturday’s attack, the deadliest on Saudi soil in over a decade, initially killed 12 people and wounded 309, authorities said.
The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen each from America, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. India’s embassy said another victim, an Indian national, died Sunday.
“Some had lost a hand or an arm. People were running while carrying injured people, covered in blood,” a 32-year-old witness told AFP.
This video may be distressing to some viewers.
CCTV footage released by Al Arabiya shows the moment of a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday.
The attack killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300. https://t.co/JIp4SMIgH3
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 11, 2026
Thursday’s airport attack killed three people. The Houthis have also targeted Saudi oil facilities and Red Sea tankers.
“Saudi air defences have been able to intercept some Houthi missile and drone attacks, but Saudi Arabia is so large that it’s simply impossible for them to consistently defend themselves,” said Ottawa University analyst Thomas Juneau.
The coalition called Saturday’s strike a “full-fledged war crime” and promised to “respond decisively”.
The UN and world leaders condemned it. US President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes.
US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies warned citizens against visiting Riyadh airport. Australia called the attacks “unacceptable” after urging citizens to “shelter in place”.
Iran offers talks as Yemen fighting continues
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart that “insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would further complicate the current situation”.
Read More: Saudi Airport Attacks Disrupt Travel: PIA Temporarily Halts Riyadh Flights
Tehran offered to “initiate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and facilitate the achievement of a political solution”, IRNA reported.
Houthi media reported two Saudi strikes in Sanaa governorate Sunday. Their health ministry claimed one killed a civilian and injured five.
Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s government militarily since 2015. Military sources reported government advances near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait Saturday; the Houthis claimed they repelled them.
Restricted access and fast-moving fighting prevented independent verification of either account.
