Three Saudi Nationals Killed in Houthi-Claimed Riyadh Airport Attacks on Oct. 8

Archive photograph of the central area of Riyadh airport, taken in 2017. It does not show the October 8, 2026 attacks. Photo: Kritzolina/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Image source and license.

Two attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 8 killed three Saudi nationals and injured several others, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said. The Houthis claimed responsibility, but the Saudi statement did not identify the perpetrators.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Friday, October 9, that two attacks struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport the previous day. The first targeted airport facilities; the second hit a Saudia aircraft on the ground. The authority reported three Saudi deaths and several injuries ranging from minor to serious. Saudia said its aircraft had no passengers aboard and identified Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami among those killed. The aviation authority said on October 9 that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal after the October 8 attacks. Reuters separately reported a gradual resumption of flights and continuing cancellations; AP reported at least 124 cancellations to or from Riyadh by Friday afternoon. The official operational statement therefore did not mean that every scheduled flight had resumed.

Reports differ on the weapon claimed

Reuters reported that the Houthis claimed to have used two cruise missiles; The Associated Press described the group’s claim as involving a ballistic missile. That discrepancy had not been independently resolved, and the Saudi authority had not publicly attributed the attacks.

The precise weapons, flight paths, and circumstances of the strikes have not been independently established. The Saudi statement did not name those responsible. The total number of injured people and the full extent of damage were not specified in the reports reviewed.

Separate from the October 10–11 attacks

This article covers the separate October 8 attacks. It is distinct from the later October 10 and 11 strikes covered in CurrentFront’s later Riyadh airport update.

The October 8 incident occurred amid the renewed Saudi-backed campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen and a series of reported attacks on Saudi airports. CurrentFront’s separate October 11 update covers a projectile strike after a deadly October 10 attack. For broader coverage of the Yemen conflict, see Houthis Target Aden Airport as Yemen Fighting Intensifies and Saudi Pact Moves Toward Rapid Force Deployment as Yemen War Escalates.

Update — November 4, 2026: Clarified the October 9 statements about resumed airport operations and distinguished them from the continuing flight cancellations reported that day. The October 8 attacks remain separate from the later October 10–11 incidents.

Sources

• Reuters — Three Saudi nationals killed in attacks on Riyadh airport, October 9, 2026, 07:47 UTC.
• Reuters follow-up — Houthi claim and conflict context, October 9, 2026, 09:18 UTC.
• Associated Press — Saudi authorities say three killed in Houthi-claimed attacks on Riyadh airport, October 9, 2026 (publication time not displayed on page).