Houthi missile strikes hit two Saudi airports on October 6–7, 2026, killing three people and wounding 36, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Wednesday. The strikes targeted Abha International Airport near the Yemen border and King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh — the first reported Houthi attack on Riyadh's main airport in this phase of the Yemen war. The Houthis claimed responsibility for both strikes.

What happened?

According to GACA, Abha International Airport was attacked on Tuesday, October 6, killing two female residents — one Moroccan and one Algerian national — and wounding 28 others, including Saudi citizens as well as Bangladeshi and Filipino residents, CNN reported. A separate attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday, October 7, killed a Sudanese resident and wounded eight people, including five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident.

Two Saudi officials familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the Houthis have been using missiles to target the kingdom's airports this week, and that both attacks caused material damage.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for both strikes. The group said it had targeted King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile and claimed the strike disrupted air traffic in Riyadh; a day earlier it said it had carried out a ballistic missile attack on Abha. It also renewed a warning to international airlines against operating flights through Saudi airspace, describing it as "a theater for our military operations," while excluding the airspace around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the Houthi claims, according to CNN.

Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces had destroyed the ballistic missile launcher used in the Riyadh attack. In a post on X, he said the launcher was destroyed in Sanaa while preparations were underway for what he called "another imminent attack against Saudi Arabia."

Why does this matter?

The strikes mark a sharp escalation of the spillover of the Yemen war onto Saudi territory. The attacks prompted a security alert from the US Mission in Saudi Arabia, warning American citizens of potential drone and missile attacks and cautioning that "US citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions," as the conflict has "the potential to escalate."

The attacks come as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces press ahead with Operation "Dawn of Yemen," a major offensive aimed at rolling back the Houthis' recent gains. In recent days, government forces have claimed advances near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Yemen's Red Sea coast, while the Houthis have responded with missile and drone attacks against targets inside Saudi Arabia.

The escalation also deepened regional alliance moves. Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to move forward with implementing collective defense measures under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, often called the Mecca Alliance. Pakistan's military confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that Pakistani forces are already stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of the alliance; Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry described it as a mechanism for collective defense and deterrence with a NATO-style provision under which an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all. The United States has also increased its support: more than 100 US military advisers are in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and targeting support to the kingdom's military operations against the Houthis, CNN reported.

How are markets reacting?

Oil prices rose on Thursday on persistent worries about supply from the Middle East amid increased attacks on shipping, Reuters reported. Brent crude futures rose $1.33, or 1.33%, to $101.53 a barrel; US West Texas Intermediate futures gained 1.26% to $89.39. The International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to accelerate the release of oil stocks and prioritize diesel supplies under a plan launched in March.

The shipping threat is widening: in the latest incident, a tanker north of Qatar was struck by multiple projectiles, causing casualties, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Wednesday. Reuters reported that attacks on tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz hit their highest level last week of any week since the Iran war began.

Attribution notes: the strike and casualty figures rest on Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, as reported independently by the Wall Street Journal and CNN. The Houthi claims of responsibility and of disrupting air traffic are the group's own account; Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on those claims. The destroyed-launcher claim is Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki's account posted on X. The Pakistani troop deployment in Saudi Arabia was confirmed by Pakistan's military to CNN. Market figures are Reuters' reporting, checked at publish time; they are snapshots, not live prices, and are not financial advice.

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Market data is a snapshot checked at publish time and is not financial advice.