Houthi Missiles Kill 17 and Shut Riyadh Airport for a Week as $100B Defenses Fail
At least 17 people have been killed and more than 330 injured in a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Riyadh since October 1, forcing the closure of King Khalid International Airport for a week.
The Iran-backed Houthi movement has escalated missile and drone strikes on Saudi airports and energy facilities, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 330 in Riyadh since October 1 [263348]. The attacks have shut King Khalid International Airport, one of the busiest in the Middle East, for a week [264448].
The deadliest single strike hit the airport last Saturday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 300 others [260490]. Another attack the next day killed one person and injured about a dozen more [264448]. A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said the airport has been attacked 20 times since the start of October, involving 10 drones, four ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles, and two unidentified projectiles [263399].
The Houthis claimed they struck King Khalid International Airport in a "precise and direct hit" [262153]. The group, which controls large parts of Yemen including territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has carried out similar attacks on Saudi targets in the past [259863][264448].
Flights to and from Riyadh have been suspended all week, with the airport set to reopen on Sunday, though this has not been confirmed [264448]. The US State Department has told Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia because of the risk of missile and drone attacks, armed conflict, and terrorism, warning of "potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions" [264448]. The UK's Foreign Office similarly says there is a heightened threat to airports and other infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and Abha [264448].
On Monday, Delta Air Lines postponed the launch of its new Atlanta-to-Riyadh route, which had been due to begin on October 23, until March 2027 [264448]. The move came after the Federal Aviation Administration warned US airlines on Sunday that the threats could pose risks during overflights, takeoffs, and landings in Saudi Arabia [264448].
The attacks have exposed a costly mismatch in Saudi defenses. The kingdom spends tens of billions of dollars every year on defense and operates multi-layered air defense systems bought from the United States and Europe, yet these tools have not stopped the Houthis from striking deep inside Saudi territory [262187]. Analysts point to possible gaps in radar coverage and the use of low-flying drones that most radar systems struggle to detect [260468][262639]. A $1 million interceptor often chases a $1,000 drone [262639].
The strikes come as Yemen's government, supported by Riyadh, launches a counteroffensive, and the Houthis have recently captured several strategic areas in Taiz province, sharply escalating the conflict [260468][262095]. Dr. Elizabeth Kendall, a Middle East specialist and President of Girton College, University of Cambridge, says the group's bold military attacks are calculated tools of political pressure aimed at winning recognition as Yemen's legitimate leaders and gaining more power at the negotiating table [262085].
The attack marks the deadliest on any Gulf country since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February, and is likely to trigger a strong military response [260490].