Houthis strike Saudi Aramco headquarters in Riyadh, killing at least 18

Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on October 13, 2026, damaging top executive offices. A broader weeklong Houthi offensive against airports and energy infrastructure, including multiple strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds. Saudi air defenses intercepted numerous incoming missiles and drones, but civil defense warnings were criticized for failing to alert the public prior to fatal strikes, sparking widespread travel disruption across the kingdom.

Strike on Saudi Aramco Dhahran building

• ▪Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants struck a Saudi Aramco administrative headquarters building in Dhahran on October 13, 2026, causing a fire across multiple top floors and extensive roof damage
• ▪The Saudi Energy Ministry reported that the October 13, 2026 Houthi missile strike on the Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran resulted in a limited fire
• ▪The Saudi Aramco building struck by Houthis in Dhahran on October 13, 2026 housed the offices of Aramco's chief executive and its oil-supply planning and scheduling department

Casualties from Riyadh airport strikes

• ▪Houthi strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 13 people on October 10, 2026 and at least 18 over a single week, injuring over 300 people
• ▪A Bangladeshi imam leading a group of Muslim pilgrims was among those killed in the October 10, 2026 Houthi strike on the King Khalid International Airport departure terminal in Riyadh

Impact of strikes on air travel

• ▪Houthi strikes on Saudi air hubs forced thousands of flight cancellations and led travelers, diplomats, and pilgrims to re-route travel via overland trips to Bahrain, Qatar, or Dubai
• ▪Saudi authorities closed King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh until October 17, 2026 following repeated Houthi missile strikes

Interceptions of Houthi attacks

• ▪Falling debris from an intercepted Houthi missile over Riyadh on October 14, 2026 injured one person and damaged a building and a vehicle
• ▪The Saudi-led military coalition intercepted two Houthi drones, four cruise missiles, and one ballistic missile targeting Riyadh, a ballistic missile targeting Dhahran, and a cruise missile targeting Al-Kharj on October 14, 2026

Saudi emergency public warning system

• ▪Saudi civil defense authorities failed to issue emergency public warnings prior to fatal Houthi missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, facing scrutiny from Western and Arab officials
• ▪Saudi Arabia's civil defense first issued mobile threat alerts for incoming attacks in Riyadh and southern cities on October 12, 2026, after operating a phone alert system that Saudi civil defense had established in May 2026
• ▪Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah in Mecca reported receiving phone alert warnings from Saudi authorities during the week of Houthi strikes on oil and transport infrastructure that included the October 13, 2026 Aramco attack

Saudi air defense shortages and requests

• ▪Regional officials reported that Saudi Arabia is running low on air defense interceptors while attempting to counter daily Houthi drone and missile attacks across its territory
• ▪Saudi Arabia pressed allies including the United States for increased military support as it struggled to intercept incoming Houthi missiles and drones