Saudi authorities said Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, on Thursday, October 8, while a Saudi-led coalition vowed a forceful response.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation said one strike hit airport facilities and another damaged a Saudia aircraft on the ground. Saudia identified the dead pilot as Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami; officials said several people of different nationalities were also wounded. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement claimed responsibility, saying it had launched a ballistic missile toward the airport and disrupted air traffic.
Saudi military officials said three missile launch platforms used in the attacks had been destroyed and warned that assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure would bring a “firm response.” The strikes prompted hundreds of flight cancellations and disruptions, although Saudi authorities said airport operations and air traffic had returned to normal by Friday. The attack followed other Houthi strikes on Saudi airports, including Abha, Jazan and Najran, as fighting intensified between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen.
The widening campaign threatens regional air travel and could increase risks to energy infrastructure and shipping routes along the Red Sea.