Houthi militants launched drone and missile strikes on two major Saudi airports this week, killing three people and injuring 36 others, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The Houthis (officially known as Ansar Allah) are designated as a terrorist organisation by several governments and international bodies, though they also function as a de facto governing authority controlling a large portion of Yemen.
Houthi militants launch drone and missile strikes on two major Saudi airports, leaving three people dead and 36 others injured.
As reported by NewsCord, the attack on Abha International Airport, which occurred on Tuesday, October 6, killed two residents, a Moroccan and an Algerian national, and injured 28 others, including residents of Bangladeshi and Filipino nationalities.
A separate strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday, October 7, killed one Sudanese resident and wounded eight people, among them five Saudi citizens and residents of Egyptian and Pakistani nationalities.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted King Khalid Airport with “a number of unmanned aerial vehicles, which caused a disruption to airport traffic.” Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 recorded temporary and repeated airspace closures around the airport following the strike.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELSaudi forces Intercept Missile, Strike Sanaa
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the Saudi-led coalition spokesman, said Saudi forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile north of Riyadh that was launched by what he described as the “terrorist Houthi militia.”
He added that the coalition’s intelligence systems traced the launch site to Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and that Saudi forces subsequently destroyed the platform used to fire the missile.
The US Mission in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert after the strikes, warning that “The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate.”
The mission urged American citizens to stay alert to potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and wider travel disruptions.
GCC, Muslim World League Condemn Attacks
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed al-Budaiwi described the attacks as “systematic crimes,” saying that targeting civilian airports and “endangering the lives of travellers, workers and civilians represents a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.” He confirmed that GCC member states stood united with Saudi Arabia.
The Muslim World League also condemned the strikes in a statement on X, with its secretary-general calling them “treacherous terrorist attacks” and saying the actions violated religious values as well as international and humanitarian law.
The airport attacks came as fighting continued around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The International Organisation for Migration reported that more than 200,000 people have been displaced since the latest round of fighting began. IOM Director General Amy Pope said, “People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” and called for more international funding to address rising needs for food and shelter.
The current conflict flared in July 2026 after a US-Iran ceasefire collapsed, with Houthi forces targeting Saudi oil facilities and tankers and Riyadh responding with airstrikes backing Yemeni government troops.
Turkey has since pledged defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Agreement, while Iran’s Mohammad Reza Naqdi told Tasnim News Agency that “The Strait of Hormuz is closed and controlled by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” adding that the situation would persist until Iran’s demands were met.
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