Houthis Claim Missile Attack on Riyadh Airport as Coalition Strikes Sanaa

Yemen’s Houthi movement says it fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and launched drones at oil pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted the missile and then struck Houthi missile sites in Sanaa. The exchange on Sunday and Monday, 25–26 October 2026, came just as flights at the Riyadh airport had resumed.

“Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on Monday, according to Al-Monitor.

What Did the Houthis Claim?

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media that the group had attacked the airport “with a ballistic missile, striking the target with precision” and had hit crude oil pumping stations along the East-West Pipeline with drones. “The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport,” he said, after the Houthis warned travellers to avoid the facility and called it a “military target”.

The East-West Pipeline, operated by Saudi Aramco, runs about 1,200 kilometres from the Abqaiq area in the east to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, TRT World noted. It gives Saudi Arabia an overland route for exports that avoids the Strait of Hormuz. There was no independent confirmation of damage to the pipeline at the time of writing.

How Did the Saudi-Led Coalition Respond?

The coalition said it carried out strikes on Houthi missile infrastructure in Sanaa. Accounts of the scale differ: an initial statement reported by TRT World and Arab News referred to two ballistic missile launchers destroyed, one of them allegedly used in the Riyadh attack, while al-Maliki said on Monday that the operation had destroyed four launchers, a missile depot and tunnels used by the Houthis. He said the campaign aimed at “cutting off Houthi militia supply lines”.

• Sunday: Coalition says air defences intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles; two people injured by falling debris in the south of the kingdom.
• Sunday: Riyadh airport reopens and flights resume.
• Monday: Houthis claim new missile attack on the airport; coalition reports interception and strikes in Sanaa.

Why Is Riyadh Airport Being Targeted?

The Houthis have carried out waves of strikes on King Khalid International Airport. An attack earlier this month killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, according to Al-Monitor. That attack led airlines to suspend services and prompted some foreign governments to advise caution.

Air defence support is becoming a diplomatic issue. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as operations resumed, agreed to a Saudi request to keep a Greek-operated Patriot air defence battery at Yanbu, his office said.

Is There Any Diplomacy Under Way?

Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, was due to hold talks in Tehran on Monday with defence officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, the members of the so-called Mecca Defence Alliance, as fighting continues in Yemen. Any outcome from those talks could affect whether the attacks on Saudi targets continue.

What Does It Mean for Travellers?

Travellers flying to or through Riyadh should check with their airline before going to the airport, follow their government’s travel advice and allow for sudden schedule changes.

Background: read our earlier reports on Riyadh airport flight cancellations, the Dammam airport attack, the UK’s RAF Typhoon deployment to Saudi Arabia and the Houthi missile attack in Shabwa.

Featured image: B.alotaby / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Riyadh skyline; file photo.

Sources

• Al-Monitor — Saudi coalition says struck Houthi missile facilities after Riyadh airport attack (26 October 2026).
• TRT World — Houthi militia targets Riyadh airport, Saudi-led coalition strikes Sanaa missile launchers (26 October 2026).
• Arab News — Coalition destroys Houthi missile launchers in Sanaa after foiled attack on Riyadh (26 October 2026).
• Al Jazeera — Iran war live: Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish defence officials due in Tehran (26 October 2026).