Story summary
On October 7, Yemen's Houthi rebels launched at least two missiles and several drones towards Aden International Airport, a critical gateway for international flights outside Houthi-controlled territory. No casualties were reported, but the attack forced an incoming flight from Cairo to divert to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This assault came amid intensifying conflict between the Houthis and government forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including around the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. In response, the coalition claimed it had intercepted another Houthi missile aimed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while also reporting three deaths at airports across Saudi Arabia due to similar attacks, though attribution was unclear.
Written for “Houthis Attack Yemen Saudi Airports” on 2026-10-08,
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No political leaning scored for article 64653 · logged 2026-10-08
- Published
Three people have been killed in attacks on Saudi Arabia airports over two days, authorities said, as flare-up of fighting spilled across the Yemen border into the kingdom.
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up → publish → kingdom
Two people were killed and 28 wounded in an attack at Abha International Airport
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28 → kill → Airport
, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Authority → say → Wednesday
In a separate incident, one person was killed and eight were wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, it added.
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it → kill → Riyadh
The attacks, which the Houthis have claimed responsibility for, mark an escalation in the renewed war between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
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Houthis → claim → Yemen
The two airports were attacked on 6 and 7 October, according to Gaca, which did not specify when each airport was hit.
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airport → attack → Gaca
Two women, of Moroccan and Algerian nationalities, were killed during the Abha airport attack, near the Yemen border, according to Gaca.
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women → kill → Gaca
Meanwhile, a male resident of Sudanese nationality was killed at King Khalid airport, it added.
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it → kill → airport
The country's civil aviation authority did not name who was responsible for the attacks, but Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said its armed forces had attacked both Saudi Arabia airports with ballistic missiles and drones.
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forces → name → missiles
The Houthi military spokesperson also said the Houthis attacked Aden's International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday.
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Houthis → say → Wednesday
The airport is a main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside of Houthi control and has been repeatedly targeted when fighting erupts in the country.
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fighting → target → country
Saree said the two attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports were in "response to the Saudi aggression against our country" which saw "60 airstrikes and missile attacks in the past 24 hours".
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which → say → hours
The civil war in Yemen has worsened in recent weeks, after the Houthis, who control most of the country's north-west, seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.
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who → worsen → offensive
That included the port of Mokha on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is the narrowest point of the Red Sea and a chokepoint for global shipping.
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which → include → shipping
But Yemeni pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have since said they had "secured" the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
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they → back → Sea
They also declared an all out war in an effort to take all territory held by the Houthis.
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They → declare → Houthis
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the official spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports "will not go unpunished".
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attacks → issue → airports
The spokesperson said the Saudi coalition had targeted more than 80 Houthi military sites across "governorates of Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf and Ma'rib".
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coalition → say → Saada
The Saudi-led coalition formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis taking over Yemen from the country's internationally recognised government.
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Houthis → lead → government
A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 after years of air strikes and ground fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
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years → broker → crises
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned "the continued Houthi cross-border attacks" on Saudi Arabia and said he was "deeply concerned by the sharp escalation in fighting".
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he → condemn → fighting
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed on both sides since the latest Houthis' advance.
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Hundreds → kill → advance
The UN said on Wednesday more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the escalation.
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people → say → escalation
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