Riyadh : Travellers, including pilgrims bound for Islam’s two holiest sites, were sent scrambling in panic after a missile struck Riyadh airport. CCTV footage released by Saudi state television captured the chaos following the attack. As travellers are seen waiting to board their flights, a bright orange flash erupts, sending scores of people scrambling for their lives. The footage also shows parts of the roof appearing to cave in.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, with the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree saying that they also targeted Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco. Saudi authorities reported one death and 11 injuries after an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4, causing a fire, according to the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen and the Saudi civil aviation authority.
From airport CCTV, the moment Houthi missiles hit the Riyadh Airport yesterday, killing 14 persons including Umrah pilgrims: https://t.co/O0A24ikmuA
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) October 12, 2026
Emergency alerts were issued in Abha in the early hours of Monday, but the danger had passed, the Saudi Civil Defense said. The Houthis had earlier renewed their warning against the use of Saudi airports, urging people to take their warnings seriously and holding Saudi Arabia responsible for any failed interceptions. Amid the escalating threat, Britain’s embassy in Saudi Arabia advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Jeddah, Dammam and airports across the kingdom, except Medina airport.
The latest attacks come as Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military involvement in Yemen, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a government counteroffensive after the rebels seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month. The Houthis said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 124 air strikes in Yemen over the preceding 24 hours. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis.
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