Saudi Arabia Vows a Serious Response After a Houthi Missile Killed 13 at Riyadh Airport as Trump Weighs Joining
A missile hit the passenger terminal on Saturday, a second projectile struck it on Sunday, and by Monday Riyadh was under fresh fire while Washington weighed entering a war it has so far watched.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026/2 min read
The deadliest attack on Saudi soil in this war landed on a passenger terminal. On Saturday a Houthi missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and by Monday the kingdom was investigating how its air defences let it through, while the Houthis warned that any American entry into the fighting would be met with a response aimed at US interests across the region.
Saudi aviation authorities said at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported, naming four Saudi citizens and two Bangladeshis among the dead. CBS News later put the toll at 13, including a US citizen, and said at least 20 people have died at Saudi airports in the past week.
What happened at Riyadh airport?
It was the third Houthi attack on the airport in a week. Al Jazeera said an earlier strike on Thursday killed at least three Saudis, among them a pilot. A projectile then hit the same terminal on Sunday, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11, according to Gulf News. The Houthi military spokesman claimed the Saturday strike as precise. Early analyst assessments pointed to a ballistic missile, though that was not confirmed.
On Monday the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted another ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, and explosions were heard in the city. The airport has been closed since Saturday and authorities extended the closure on Monday. We looked at what that means for travellers in our earlier report on airlines suspending Riyadh flights.
How is Saudi Arabia responding?
The coalition called Saturday's attack a war crime and promised a decisive reply. Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom's response "must be equally serious," CBS reported. The Houthis said Saudi air strikes hit Sanaa overnight, killing one person and wounding 12, according to their health ministry. Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the strikes.
The Houthis have also declared Saudi airspace a military zone, with the exception of the corridors over Mecca and Medina, following an offensive by Yemen's government that began on Monday last week, Al Jazeera said. A Houthi official told Saudi oil and airport workers to stay away from facilities.
Will the United States join the fighting?
President Donald Trump called the attack "terrible" and said on Saturday that the US "may" join Saudi strikes. On Monday he said the Houthis were "misbehaving very badly." A senior Houthi figure, Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, warned of a swift and painful response against the United States if it does. The US embassy urged extreme caution at Saudi airports, and Delta postponed its planned Atlanta to Riyadh service to March 2027.
Brent crude rose above $105 a barrel, a two-week high, as traders weighed the risk to Saudi exports. The next signals to watch are whether Riyadh names its target in Yemen, whether Washington moves from words to strikes, and whether the airport can reopen when the current notice expires on Saturday.
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