At least 12 dead, over 300 wounded in attack on Riyadh airport

At least 12 dead, over 300 wounded in attack on Riyadh airport.

Key points

• While a total of 222 flights were delayed, air traffic monitor Flightradar24 remarked 155 arriving and 161 departing flights had been cancelled.
• In Yemen, Saudi-led administration forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas they captured last month around the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources informed AFP.
• At around 6pm local time, Flightradar24 observed that flights bound for the airport were "diverting elsewhere, mainly to Jeddah at the moment".
• A diplomatic source briefed on the matter informed AFP the airport was hit by "a missile around 3: 00pm" (5pm PKT).

At least 12 dead, over 300 wounded in attack on Riyadh airport. AFP Published October 10, 2026 Updated October 11, 2026 03: 26am. Join our Whatsapp Channel.

For context, an attack on Riyadh's international airport killed at least 12 individuals and wounded 309 others, some of them seriously, Saudi Arabia's civil aviation office-holders noted on Saturday.

As well as two Bangladeshis, one US citizen, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese, the statement continued, four Saudi citizens were among the dead.

Earlier in the day, authorities had suspended operations at Riyadh's international airport. The Saudi civil aviation authority had initially confirmed an attack had injured a number of residents at the sprawling King Khalid International Airport, with a diplomatic source attributing it to a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

While foreign embassies cautioned their citizens to avoid the facility, the situation prompted health authorities to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors to agreement with the "serious emergency", a medical source noted.

Though they did not announce any new attacks on Saturday, houthis have repeatedly targeted the facility, claiming a series of strikes on Thursday that killed three individuals and damaged a plane.

At around 6pm local time, Flightradar24 observed that flights bound for the airport were "diverting elsewhere, mainly to Jeddah at the moment". It afterwards shared a notice to airmen (Notam) for operations suspended till 12am.

For context, a witness at the airport documented hearing an explosion while waiting to board a flight, and another stated they saw a strike that left individuals wounded and fleeing in panic.

"I was on gate 403" at the domestic terminal, the witness informed AFP. "I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running."

In practice, a medical source informed AFP that the health ministry had ordered ER doctors to report to hospitals around the capital to treat the wounded on Saturday.

"We were informed we are dealing with a 'serious emergency situation'. Injured are being moved to hospitals throughout Riyadh", with numerous in critical condition, the source noted.

Meanwhile, the aviation authority remarked the number of injured from the attack was still being assessed, adding that airport "operations had been temporarily suspended pending the completion of an assessment of the damage and verification of the safety of the facilities".

In practice, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen's coalition administration unravelled in July.

In practice, a source at a local hospital remarked five residents were in intensive care there after being wounded at the airport, with "dozens of people injured" in all.

In practice, a relative of one wounded person remarked they had been hit in the shoulders and arms by shattered glass. Three witnesses confirmed individuals being evacuated from the airport.

Two doctors informed AFP that a number of pilgrims headed to Makkah had been injured while waiting to board their flight.

Meanwhile, a diplomatic source briefed on the matter informed AFP the airport was hit by "a missile around 3: 00pm" (5pm PKT).

"Houthis are attacking civilian targets. Riyadh airport is a civilian target, " the source remarked.

Notably, the Yemen conflict flared back to life after a four-year, UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle Eastern war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets.

For context, the scale and frequency of the recent strikes targeting Riyadh are unprecedented in the eight months of war in the region.

Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that supports Yemen's administration militarily, and has identified itself drawn deeper into its impoverished neighbour's civil war.

Both Riyadh and the Houthis have signalled a willingness to keep fighting rather than pursue diplomacy.

For context, the US embassy in Saudi Arabia remarked it was "aware of attacks" on Riyadh airport on Saturday and called on American citizens to avoid the area.

Meanwhile, the Canadian, German and Spanish embassies additionally cautioned their citizens to avoid the facility. Spain's embassy, in a message on X, alerted nationals to a "new attack. By the Houthis".

In practice, a senior Western diplomat informed AFP that a number of embassies "indicated that they had decided to prohibit their staff's travel to/from Riyadh Airport over the next week as a prudential step".

Near the airport, passengers carrying luggage could be seen standing on the pavement at a metro station.

Meanwhile, in Yemen, Saudi-led administration forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas they captured last month around the Bab al-Mandab strait, military sources informed AFP.

After the group seized the country's entire western coastline in a lightning offensive, the Yemeni administration last week unveiled a counter-offensive aimed at retaking all areas held by the Houthis.

According to The Houthis, administration forces had attacked in the Bab al-Mandab area – a key chokepoint for Red Sea oil and cargo shipping – but they maintained to have repelled the assault.

Claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation moving fast on the ground and access for journalists tough.

In short, at least 12 dead, over 300 wounded in attack on Riyadh airport is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.