Deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen conflict

Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi airports, killing three people and injuring 36 others this week, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said Wednesday, as the conflict in Yemen increasingly spills across the border into the kingdom.

In a statement, GACA said Abha International Airport, near the Yemen border, and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport came under attack on Oct. 6 and 7.


The attacks prompted a security alert from the U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia, warning American citizens of potential drone and missile attacks and cautioning that the conflict could escalate.

 The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate,  the mission said Wednesday.  US citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions. 

The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of northern Yemen including the capital, Sanaa, have been at war with the internationally recognized Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.

The conflict flared up in July 2026, shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire unraveled, with Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in an expansion of the Middle East war. Riyadh has responded with airstrikes in support of Yemeni government forces.

According to GACA, the attack on Abha International Airport on Tuesday killed two female residents, one Moroccan and one Algerian national, and wounded 28 others, including Saudi citizens as well as Bangladeshi and Filipino residents.

A separate attack on King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh on Wednesday killed a Sudanese resident and wounded eight people, including five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident, the authority said.

The Houthi-controlled armed forces claimed responsibility for both attacks. The group said it had targeted King Khalid International Airport
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