At least three killed and dozens injured as Houthis strike Saudi airports

Submitted by Sean Mathews on Wed, 10/07/2026 - 21:02 Strikes underscore the kingdom's air defence vulnerabilities as Pakistan and Turkey prepare to send more troops and equipment

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities take part in a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on 7 October 2026 (Mohammed Huwais/AFP) Off

At least three people were killed and dozens injured by Houthi attacks on two of Saudi Arabia’s international airports, including in the capital, Riyadh.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday... Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport were subjected to attacks targeting their facilities," the kingdom's civil aviation authority said in a statement on Wednesday.

An Egyptian and an Algerian national were killed at Abha airport, and a Sudanese national was killed at the airport in Riyadh, the agency said, with 36 people wounded in the attacks.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for a flurry of attacks, including a ballistic missile strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

The conflict is drawing in more regional powers.

Pakistan and Turkey agreed to activate the Mecca Pact on Tuesday, a joint defence agreement they sealed with Saudi Arabia in August.

Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday that Turkey is sending troops and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom’s infrastructure.

Pakistan also confirmed in an interview with CNN that it is deploying troops to Saudi Arabia as part of the pact.

At least 200,000 displaced

Saudi Arabia is also ramping up its strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, as it looks to roll back Houthi advances.

Intense fighting is taking place among the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and the city of Taiz.

Turkey to deploy troops and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks Read More »

More than 200,000 people have already been displaced from the conflict, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, began a counter-offensive to retake Red Sea coastal territory that the Houthis captured last month.

The Yemeni government announced on Sunday that the campaign's overall objective is to retake all of the territory it has lost to the Houthis over 12 years of war.

The battle lines have been fluid, and images of bitter fighting have leaked out on social media.

Several videos appeared to show fighters in an armoured car from the Giants Brigade, which is aligned with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government, mowing down unarmed men and men surrendering on a beach.

Yemen’s government claimed on Tuesday it had taken back the Arabian Gulf side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Mocha, the strategic Red Sea port city that the Houthis had wrested from them in September.

Houthi channels have denied that Mocha had been taken, posting videos of their fighters inside the city.

Other reports and open-source information appeared to corroborate this, suggesting that the fighting around the port city was largely made up of long-range missile exchanges and that Mocha remains in the hands of the Houthis.

Yemen War News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0