Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Thursday, October 8, 2026, that it had carried out a new wave of missile and drone attacks on two Saudi airports and a Royal Saudi Air Force base — the third consecutive day of claimed strikes on the kingdom. The group's leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, warned Saudi Arabia in a televised speech to prepare for a long conflict. Saudi authorities said they intercepted two ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh and that falling debris damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic.

What did the Houthis claim on Thursday?

The Houthis said their attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Najran Airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, and the Royal Saudi Air Force's King Khalid Air Base, claiming the strikes involved both cruise and ballistic missiles and had caused damage and disrupted air traffic, CNN reported. Reuters, citing the group, reported a separate claim that a ballistic missile had struck King Khalid International Airport.

Saudi Arabia has not confirmed that the airports were hit. Saudi authorities said Thursday they had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh, with falling debris damaging a kindergarten and a medical clinic. Reuters reported that loud explosions were heard in the capital on Thursday morning, that smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport, and that some diplomats had received warnings while some Riyadh schools issued shelter-in-place orders. A witness and three people briefed on the matter told Reuters smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at the airport.

What did the Houthi leader say?

In a televised speech on Thursday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed to continue attacking Saudi targets and confronting Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, warning the kingdom against continuing its military campaign. "The Yemeni people today possess all the determination and elements of strength, regardless of how long the war lasts," he said, according to CNN. The group also warned employees, engineers and workers at Saudi oil facilities to stay away from locations that could become targets, and renewed earlier warnings to airlines, airport operators and travelers using Saudi airports.

How has the disruption spread beyond Yemen?

Lufthansa Group airlines will suspend flights to Riyadh through October 16, and Air India said it cancelled all flights to the Saudi capital until October 10, Reuters reported. CNN published images posted on X, which it verified, showing smoke rising over Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport and what appeared to be a damaged Saudi aircraft.

The US Mission in Saudi Arabia said it was "aware" of attacks targeting the Riyadh airport and warned American citizens to exercise heightened vigilance, cautioning that the conflict "has the potential to escalate." It warned of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions, and said US government employees now needed special authorization to use the airport and remained barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border.

What happened in the previous two days?

The Thursday attacks followed two days of strikes that Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said killed three people and wounded 36 at the Riyadh and Abha airports on October 6–7 — a figure carried by both CNN and Reuters. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh, and late that night said it had launched a large-scale retaliatory operation striking 82 Houthi military targets in Saada, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib provinces, including missile depots, command centers, communications facilities and weapons stockpiles, according to CNN.

What are the two sides saying about the ground war?

Both sides issued battlefield claims on Thursday that no independent source has verified. Yemen's internationally recognized government said its forces, pressing Operation "Dawn of Yemen," had carried out 1,729 precision strikes against Houthi targets, killing 1,370 fighters and destroying or disabling 300 vehicles. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of escalating its air campaign, claiming 59 Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks across Sanaa and several provinces in the previous 24 hours with civilian casualties. CNN reported that it could not independently verify either claim.

The fighting pits the Houthis against Saudi-backed forces under the internationally recognized government. It intensified after the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire in July and has spilled across the region: Syria is weighing military aid for Saudi Arabia, Turkey is sending defensive and technical support, and Pakistan has confirmed its troops are stationed in the kingdom under the new mutual-defense pact.

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Attribution notes: the Thursday attack claims are the Houthis' account; Saudi Arabia confirmed intercepting two missiles and reported debris damage to a kindergarten and a clinic, but has not confirmed airport hits. The 36 wounded / three killed figures over October 6–7 are Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation figures, carried by both CNN and Reuters. The coalition's 82-target retaliation figure is the coalition's account as reported by CNN. Battlefield claims from both sides (Yemeni government's 1,729 strikes / 1,370 killed; Houthis' 59 Saudi airstrikes with civilian casualties) have no independent verification; CNN explicitly stated it could not verify either.

This is a developing story.