Riyadh airport was hit by a missile from the Huthis rebels, according to diplomatic sources, with dozens wounded, five in serious condition. Saudi authorities are evacuating the site and suspending flights.
© AFP via Getty Images
10/10/2026
by
Lusa
O riyadh airport was hit today by a Huthis rebel missile, said diplomatic source to France Presse (AFP), which indicated the existence of dozens injured as a result of the attack, five of which were serious.
“Huthis are attacking civilian targets. Riyadh airport is a civilian target,” said the diplomatic source to AFP, specifying that a missile hit the facility around 3 p.m. locals (13.00 in Lisbon).
At least five people were taken by helicopter in a serious state to intensive care units, according to a medical source heard by AFP, reporting on dozens more injured.
“ Dozens of people were injured at the airport, mostly Saudi citizens. At least five of them, all Saudis, are in intensive care ", reported.
Three other sources cited by the French news agency indicated that the facility was being evacuated, while the local authorities urged passengers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
An AFP witness said she heard an explosion while waiting for boarding, while two others failed to confirm the origin of the situation.
Two regional sources, cited by the Associated Press (AP), also confirmed that the airport was being evacuated and the flights were suspended.
The Riyadh authorities have not yet spoken, nor have the Huthis.
The national company Kuwait Airways has already announced, however, the suspension of connecting flights with Riyadh due to the closure of the airport.
The Huthis, allies of Iran, claimed several previous attacks on Saudi Arabia and imposed a naval blockade on the ships of the Arab kingdom, the world's largest exporter of crude since July in the Red Sea.
Riyadh announced today a “large-scale operation” of the coalition he leads against the Huthis, targeting “the rebels’ forces and capabilities,” while supporting the internationally recognized government army in Yemen.
This counteroffensive occurs after significant military advances by the Huthis in western Yemen, allowing control of vast areas of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
This strategic gateway to the Suez Canal has served as an alternative to the Strait of Ormuz, which has been blocked by Iran since the start of the US and Israel offensive on 28 February against the Islamic Republic.
After years of relative calm in the civil war in Yemen, the fragile truce agreed in 2022 collapsed in July, when the Huthis challenged Riyadh's control over Yemeni airspace, allowing the landing of a plane with Iranian representatives in Sanaa.
The Huthis are part of the so-called axis of resistance, formed by political and armed groups supported by Iran, alongside Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia militias in Iraq.
Between 2023 and 2025, they attacked commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea as a form of support for Hamas in the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.