A missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and wounded 309 on Saturday, October 10, according to figures released by Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority and reported by Reuters. The strike forced the temporary suspension of operations at the airport, diverted incoming flights and marked the third deadly attack on the Saudi capital’s main aviation hub within a week.
Saudi authorities said the dead included four Saudi nationals, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Reuters reported that hospitals received casualties by ambulance and helicopter, with some of the wounded in critical condition. The news agency said the attack came without a warning from the kingdom’s threat-alert system.
Terminals hit and flights diverted
The Associated Press reported that a missile struck the complex serving Terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic traffic. Flight-tracking data cited by both Reuters and AP showed aircraft being diverted away from Riyadh as the airport was evacuated and operations were halted. Several governments, including the United States and European countries, advised citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding area while the security response continued.
Reuters said a witness saw an explosion followed by injured people on the ground inside the facility. A traveler told the agency that part of a ceiling near a departure gate collapsed. Reuters also verified video showing ambulances at the airport. The reports did not provide an immediate, independently verified assessment of the full structural damage.
Houthis claim responsibility
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement later claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters. The group has told commercial airlines to avoid Saudi airspace and described it as a military-operations zone after a new offensive by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces began earlier in the week. Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies have reported strikes on Houthi-held territory, while the Houthis have alleged civilian casualties; Reuters said it could not independently verify those competing claims.
The Saturday attack followed two earlier strikes on King Khalid International Airport during the same week. Reuters reported that those incidents killed four people and damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac. The latest casualty figure made Saturday’s attack the deadliest of the series and raised new questions about the ability of Saudi air defenses to protect critical civilian infrastructure.
Regional escalation and international reaction
Saudi Arabia entered Yemen’s war in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the internationally recognized government against the Houthis, who had seized the capital, Sanaa, the previous year. A 2022 truce largely froze cross-border fighting, but Reuters reported that the arrangement unraveled during the summer as conflict intensified around strategic territory near the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route.
Asked whether the United States might join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, President Donald Trump said Washington would examine the situation and decide quickly. No US military action had been announced at the time of the reports. Saudi conference organizers separately said major energy and investment events planned in Riyadh would proceed, while offering revised travel guidance and additional security arrangements.
The immediate priorities remain treatment of the wounded, restoration of airport operations and confirmation of the damage. Travelers were advised to rely on official airline and airport updates rather than unverified social-media claims, as cancellations and diversions could continue while Saudi authorities assess security conditions.
