RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia intensified its military response to Yemen’s Houthi rebels after repeated missile and drone attacks killed at least 14 people and injured more than 300 at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, forcing authorities to extend the airport’s closure and disrupting regional air travel.
Saudi authorities reported that a strike on Sunday, October 11, killed one person and injured 11 others at the airport, a day after a separate attack killed 12 people and wounded more than 300. India’s embassy later said one of its citizens died from injuries sustained in Saturday’s strike, bringing that attack’s death toll to 13, according to Al Jazeera and Saudi aviation authorities.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Al-Kharj province and a drone in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. Saudi forces have also carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen as fighting intensifies, according to The Guardian and Al Jazeera.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation said King Khalid International Airport would remain closed while authorities assessed damage and conducted safety inspections. The repeated attacks have also affected other Saudi airports, including facilities in Dammam and Khamis Mushait. Airlines have cancelled or suspended services, while schools and some workplaces in Riyadh have shifted to remote operations.
The latest escalation comes amid Yemen’s prolonged conflict, which intensified after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Years of fighting have contributed to widespread displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
The attacks also raise concerns about regional maritime security, particularly around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a vital route for international shipping. Continued hostilities could threaten commercial transport and add to instability across the Middle East.
With airport operations disrupted and tensions mounting, the situation underscores the risk that the conflict could draw in additional regional and international actors.
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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