A missile reportedly hit Riyadh airport on October 10, sending injured people to hospitals and disrupting flights. Saudi authorities had not confirmed the Saturday incident at publication time.
At about 15:00, a missile reportedly struck Riyadh airport on Saturday, October 10, according to a diplomatic source briefed on the incident. The facility closed, and injured people were taken to hospitals across Riyadh.
The attack was attributed to the Iran-backed Houthis, but Saudi Arabia had not confirmed that account. Medical teams moved to an emergency footing. At least five Saudi citizens were reported to be in intensive care. The reported impact and casualty figures still required separate official confirmation.
The timing sharpened the disruption. A reported strike had come only two days after Houthi-claimed bombardments at the same airport killed three Saudis, including a pilot.
Saudi civil aviation officials said the earlier confirmed attacks affected facilities at King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia aircraft. People of several nationalities were injured. The official chronology differed from the initial reports, which linked the confirmed attacks to October 6 and 7, while the new reported incident was dated October 10.
В подтверждённой атаке 8 октября удары пришлись не только по объектам аэропорта имени короля Халида, но и по самолёту авиакомпании Saudia. Среди погибших был пилот.
Ambulances moved toward the airport as hospitals in Riyadh received warnings of a serious emergency. A medical source said many injured people were in critical condition and were being distributed among several hospitals.
Witnesses described an evacuation from the terminal. One person reported hearing an explosion while waiting to board a flight. ABC News said a regional official had reported a hit on the terminal complex, including terminals 3 and 4. Saudi authorities had not independently confirmed those details.
The United States Embassy in Saudi Arabia said it knew about attacks against the airport and advised people to stay away from the area. The warning came as authorities dealt with casualties and cancelled flights.
The Houthis also claimed simultaneous attacks on the civilian airports of Riyadh and Najran. They separately claimed a strike on King Khalid Air Base. Their account cited ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, but independent confirmation was unavailable.
For travellers, the immediate damage was operational. Kuwait Airways said the airport had shut and cancelled two flights between Riyadh and Kuwait City. Germany and Canada advised their citizens not to travel through the airport. Spain issued the same warning. France had already recommended avoiding air travel to the Saudi capital except for compelling reasons.
К пятнице из Эр-Рияда и в Эр-Рияд было отменено как минимум 124 рейса, а днём ранее FlightAware сообщал ещё о сотнях отмен. При этом саудовское авиационное ведомство заявляло, что воздушное движение возвращается к нормальному режиму.
The cancellations followed an earlier wave of warnings affecting international travel. FlightAware recorded at least 124 cancelled flights to and from Riyadh by Friday, after hundreds more cancellations the previous day. Saudi aviation officials said air traffic was returning to normal.
The airport disruption is tied to the wider war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is providing military support to Yemeni government forces fighting the Houthis as they seek to retake territory captured since September, including areas along the Red Sea coast.
Donald Trump said the United States would decide very quickly whether to join Saudi attacks against the Houthis in Yemen after learning about the latest strike. His statement added a possible American military decision to an incident already linked to airport closures and medical mobilisation.
Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed the latest incident at publication time. The Houthis had not immediately claimed responsibility for the reported Saturday strike. The report of a terminal hit and mass casualties came from a regional official cited by ABC News.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said air traffic was returning to normal.
