Missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group on Riyadh airport have killed three people, Saudi authorities said on Friday, 9 October. The strikes on Thursday also injured several people, damaged a Saudia Airlines aircraft and prompted airlines to cancel flights to the Saudi capital.
The attacks mark a sharp escalation in a regional war triggered by the conflict between the United States and Iran, which began with an attack on Iran on 28 February. The Houthis have announced repeated rounds of ballistic missile fire at Saudi Arabia and declared that they want to shut down Saudi airspace. They have also warned workers at oil facilities that these could be targeted next.
On Friday the group repeated its threats against aircraft flying over Saudi Arabia, excluding only the airspace above the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. It described Saudi airspace as a theatre of operations for its missile forces.
The international reaction was swift. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency extended the area in which it advises airlines not to fly, citing the attacks on Riyadh airport and the risks to civil aviation. The aviation risk body OPSGROUP advised against flying over the kingdom altogether. The US embassy in the United Arab Emirates urged Americans to exercise increased vigilance, warning that the hostilities could escalate rapidly.
The timing is sensitive: Riyadh is due to host the WPC Energy Congress, a major gathering of oil ministers, officials and energy executives, starting on Sunday. Organisers were still advertising the event on Friday. Reports also indicate that Saudi-led forces have launched a large operation against Houthi military capabilities in Yemen, raising fears of a wider conflict in the Gulf region and further pressure on global energy markets.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera (9–10 October 2026)
