Airport attacked in Saudi Arabia: 12 dead, over 300 wounded
King Khalid Airport in the capital of Saudi Arabia was attacked on October 10. According to Reuters, this is the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade. Some of the wounded are in critical condition.
Smoke and flames at King Khalid Airport in Riyadh after an attack by Yemeni Houthis, October 8, 2026. Still from social media video
On October 10, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was attacked. After the explosion near one of the boarding gates, part of the ceiling collapsed, a wounded passenger told Reuters. According to Saudi authorities, at least 12 people died and another 309 were injured.
Airport operations were halted, and all flights were rerouted.
Among the dead are four Saudis, two Bangladeshi citizens, and one person each from the USA, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt.
An eyewitness told the agency that after the explosion, injured people were lying on the floor inside the airport. One of the affected passengers saw something fly across the sky, after which part of the ceiling near the boarding gate collapsed. People were transported to hospitals by ambulances and helicopters.
Two previous attacks on the airport this week killed four people and severely damaged a passenger plane on the tarmac. The strikes exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi air defense.
The attack occurred amid an escalation of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis. A truce reached in 2022 broke down this summer. Saudi aviation is now supporting the advance of Yemeni government troops against the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition has vowed to retaliate. Donald Trump stated that the US is considering joining Saudi attacks on the Houthis.