Houthis claim drone and missile attacks on Saudi airports and military bases

Oct 6, 2026

Yemen's Houthi rebels have escalated regional tensions by launching a series of drone and missile attacks targeting Saudi airports and military bases, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The strikes have caused flight disruptions, damaged regional airports in Jizan and Najran, and wounded three people. In response, the Saudi-led coalition intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh and launched a major ground and air offensive to recapture strategic territory along the Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, effectively ending a four-year ceasefire.

Houthi attacks and international response

▪European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on October 6, 2026, that the European Union stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the Houthi attacks.
▪Yemen's Houthi group claimed to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport, Khamis Mushait Air Base, and multiple military camps in Jizan and Asir.

Damage assessments of Saudi airports

▪Saudi officials did not officially confirm any damage at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following the Houthi claims of attacks.
▪Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation stated that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jizan and Najran International Airport were damaged, and three people were wounded, in Houthi strikes.

Disruptions at Riyadh airport

▪Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 and FlightAware showed that flights at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were briefly disrupted and planes held away from the airfield following the Houthi claims.
▪Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed on October 7, 2026, that the drone strike targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was precise and disrupted air traffic.

Saudi-led coalition response to attacks

▪Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki stated that the Saudi-led coalition tracked the Houthi missile launch platform in the skies over Sanaa using intelligence systems and vowed to destroy it.
▪Saudi-led coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki stated that coalition forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi-launched ballistic missile north of Riyadh on October 7, 2026.

Houthi warnings and threats

▪The Houthis warned on October 6, 2026, that civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia would increasingly be targeted in retaliation for the Saudi blockade imposed on Yemen.
▪Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned international airlines against operating flights within Saudi airspace, declaring it a theatre for military operations with the exception of airspace over Mecca and Medina.

Houthi strikes near Aden airport

▪The Human Rights Ministry stated that a Houthi missile hit close to the Aden airport runway on October 7, 2026, just before Yemenia Flight 603 from Cairo landed, threatening a humanitarian disaster.
▪The Houthis claimed a ballistic missile strike on October 7, 2026, against a military camp near the airport in Aden, Yemen, which the Aden police stated targeted the civilian airport with two missiles.

Clashes around the Bab el-mandeb Strait

▪Saudi-led coalition forces recaptured several key areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on October 5, 2026, pushing Houthi forces out of coastal areas up to the city of Mocha.
▪Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces launched a ground and air offensive to retake territory along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that the Houthis seized last month.
▪Active military clashes between Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces centered around Dhubab and the Waziayah district in southwestern Taiz province, which overlooks roads to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Escalation of Yemen conflict

▪The Saudi-led coalition's offensive began after Houthi rebels seized the town of Turbah on a main road linking Taiz with Aden.
▪The United Nations reported that the renewed escalation in Yemen's civil war has killed almost 1,000 people and displaced approximately 175,000 others following the collapse of a four-year ceasefire.

Debatable claims

▪The United States should end its intelligence support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen
▪Houthi threats make operating international flights in Saudi airspace unacceptably risky
▪Houthi strikes on Saudi civilian airports are justified by the blockade of Yemen