The Houthis announced on Monday, October 12, that they targeted Riyadh airport with ballistic missiles (FinancialJuice, GMA News). The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a missile fired toward Riyadh, Saudi authorities later said the “danger has passed”, and a witness heard three explosions (FinancialJuice). The coalition announced the interception of another missile toward Khamis Mushait (Algemeen Dagblad). Riyadh is examining how the missiles slipped past the defenses after Saturday’s strike, which killed 12 according to the Associated Press and 13 according to the Times of India. Saudi Arabia extended the suspension of flights at Riyadh airport (CNA), and Livemint said it runs until October 17. Airlines cancelled their flights (Reuters) and Delta postponed its service (The Hill, CNBC). We found no casualty toll for Monday’s attack.
Targeting a major civilian airport three days in a row means that the danger to aviation in the region is no longer an isolated incident. It raises the cost of travel, insurance and freight, and disrupts economic events in the kingdom.
If you have a flight to or via Riyadh, check with the airline before heading to the airport. flydubai had announced the cancellation of its flights to Riyadh until October 14, according to Emarat Al Youm, and we found no new decision.
One view: repeated attacks on civilian airports justify a decisive response against the Houthis.
The other view: a broad response could widen the war in Yemen and expose Gulf facilities to more attacks.
We distinguish between what the coalition announced, which is an official statement, and what the Houthis announce, which is a claim. We are waiting for the result of the Saudi investigation into the failure of the defenses, and for the decision on when air traffic resumes at Riyadh airport.
FinancialJuice, GMA News, Algemeen Dagblad, Associated Press, Times of India, CNA, Livemint, Reuters, The Hill, CNBC, The Straits Times (October 12, 2026)
The Houthis target Riyadh airport again on Monday, the coalition says it destroyed the missile, and Riyadh extends the airport closure as airlines postpone flights
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh and intercepted another toward Khamis Mushait. Saudi Arabia is examining how the missiles slipped past its defenses, and Delta is postponing its service to Riyadh.
The Houthis announced on Monday, October 12, that they had targeted Riyadh airport with ballistic missiles, according to FinancialJuice and GMA News. The Saudi-led coalition said in a statement that it destroyed a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh, and FinancialJuice relayed that a witness heard three explosions and that Saudi authorities later said the “danger has passed”. The coalition also announced the interception of another ballistic missile fired toward Khamis Mushait in the south of the kingdom, according to the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad. We found no casualty toll for Monday’s attack in the sources. It came after the strike on Saturday, October 10, which the Associated Press said killed 12 people, while the Times of India reported a toll of 13 dead, and the reason for the difference is unclear. Riyadh is examining how the missile slipped past the defense systems, according to the Associated Press, and The Straits Times said the skies over the capital are almost empty of aircraft. FinancialJuice said the Houthis renewed their warning to airlines and travelers against using Saudi airports, and Bloomberg said the attacks are part of a wider regional conflict that is escalating.
Saudi Arabia extended the suspension of flights at Riyadh airport: Livemint said the closure runs until October 17, CNA reported an extension of the suspension after the weekend attacks, and The Guardian said Saudi Arabia suspended flights again after the latest attack. Reuters said airlines cancelled their flights to Saudi Arabia, The Hill said Delta postponed its Atlanta–Riyadh service, and CNBC said the launch of its service was postponed to March. Reuters reported that senior oil executives were struck from the program of an event in Riyadh, and FinancialJuice said OPEC+ ministers met on the sidelines of the Riyadh conference and that the disruption to energy flows pushed shipping and insurance costs to unprecedented levels. Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt condemned the attacks, according to Asharq Al-Awsat and Reuters. flydubai had announced the cancellation of its flights to Riyadh until October 14, according to Emarat Al Youm, and we found no new decision from UAE airlines. On the wounded, the Manila Times and Philstar said four Filipinos were injured and three of them are in intensive care, and Asharq Al-Awsat said 400 medical staff treated those hurt in the airport attack and performed 25 operations. The Financial Times said the attack on airports hits the Saudi crown prince’s economic vision squarely. In DailyDrop’s reading, the extension of the closure means that the effect of the attacks on travel and business will last additional days. Sky News Arabia spoke of a US measure concerning Saudi airports, though we did not find its details in the sources, and DW said that viral clips that publishers linked to the attack were falsely attributed, so do not rely on unverified clips. Livemint and the Times of India asked why the missiles succeeded in getting past Saudi defenses, and the BBC posed, in an explainer, the question: who are the Houthis and why are they hard to fight? This matters to the UAE because its airlines, including flydubai, Emirates and Etihad, operate regular flights to Saudi Arabia, and because the widening of the war affects energy prices and investor confidence in the Gulf. As for the extent of the damage at the airport, the result of the Saudi investigation and the date flights will resume, the authorities have not announced them yet.