RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | Three Saudi citizens were killed and several others injured in Houthi-claimed missile attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi authorities said Friday, October 9, as the escalating conflict in Yemen increasingly threatens Saudi infrastructure and international aviation.
The attacks on Thursday targeted airport facilities and an aircraft belonging to Saudi state carrier Saudia, causing material damage and temporarily disrupting air traffic. Among those killed was Saudia Group captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, according to media reports. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the injuries ranged from minor to serious and that airport operations had resumed.
The strikes prompted widespread flight cancellations and temporary suspensions by international airlines. Lufthansa Group announced that its flights to and from Riyadh would remain suspended through October 16, citing developments in the Middle East. Indian carriers IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air also suspended Riyadh services, with their cancellation periods varying by airline. The suspensions followed renewed Houthi threats against airlines operating in Saudi airspace, according to Reuters.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government said it had destroyed three missile-launch platforms used by the Houthis. Saudi airstrikes also targeted Houthi positions in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and along the country’s Red Sea coast, according to reports from Houthi-affiliated sources. The latest military action is part of an intensifying campaign to reverse Houthi territorial gains and counter threats to Saudi Arabia and regional shipping routes.
The Houthis, an Iran-aligned armed movement, seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year in support of the internationally recognized government. The conflict has devastated Yemen and contributed to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Hostilities have intensified again as the wider regional conflict involving Iran expands, raising concerns over attacks on infrastructure, commercial aviation and maritime traffic.
The escalation also threatens the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a vital route for global shipping. Continued attacks or disruptions in the area could affect trade and energy shipments, adding pressure to already volatile regional markets.
The latest airport strikes underscore the growing risks to civilian infrastructure as the conflict spreads beyond Yemen. Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond to attacks on civilians, while the Houthis have threatened further action against Saudi targets and airlines operating in the kingdom’s airspace.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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