Yemen Conflict Widens as Houthis Strike Riyadh International Airport

Saudi Arabia said on October 12 it would "respond forcefully" to an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed at least 12 people, an incident the Saudi-led coalition called a "full-blown war crime." US President Donald Trump called the attack "catastrophic," while the Iran-backed Houthi group has not claimed responsibility.

According to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, the strike hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 11, killing at least 12 people and wounding at least 309, many of them critically. The dead include four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi citizens and one citizen each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. It was the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

"The cowardly terrorist attack by the Houthi force... killed and injured civilian passengers and airport staff, constituting a full-blown war crime," coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki wrote on X. Operations at the airport were suspended, with numerous flights cancelled or diverted, and schools in Riyadh switched to online learning for a week.

Without claiming responsibility, the Houthis the same day "repeated a warning to airlines, experts, staff, workers and passengers not to use Saudi airports and airspace because it is a target and a battlefield for our forces." Military spokesman Yahya Saree added that Saudi Arabia "must bear responsibility for any failed interception."

The incident comes amid escalating fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, after a UN-mediated ceasefire that had held since 2022 collapsed. The tensions have raised fears of a broader regional confrontation, as the US president has left open the possibility of Washington joining a military campaign against the Houthis.

Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum, said Saudi Arabia is likely to retaliate against the Houthis "quite hard." "I still think Saudi Arabia may want to de-escalate. They do not want a long-term escalation, but the Houthis are making it difficult by threatening both Saudi national security and international maritime security. So this war is much bigger than tit-for-tat," she said.

Other targets hit by the Houthis

The Houthis have launched multiple waves of missile and drone strikes on airports, military bases and oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, including areas near the Yemeni border. On October 13, attacks on King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in the southwestern city of Jazan and Najran International Airport wounded three people and caused material damage, according to the Saudi civil aviation authority. On October 14, attacks on Abha Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed three people and wounded 36.

The Houthis also said they used missiles and drones to strike the Aramco refinery in Rabigh, on the Red Sea, causing a fire; Saudi authorities have not immediately confirmed the claim. In July, the Houthis imposed a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia after a new round of fighting erupted.

Yasmeen Al Eryani, executive director for knowledge production at the Sanaa Center, said the Houthis are trying to create "maximum pressure" on Saudi Arabia while driving very strong internal mobilisation, including moving forces from the western front into Taiz and more densely populated areas. She said the Houthis may keep exploiting the momentum, and cross-border strikes will pile pressure across the region while "provoking" Saudi Arabia, the United States and regional states.

Latest fighting

Houthi-affiliated media reported on October 12 on an airstrike targeting Naqil al-Zarbi in Hayfan district, Taiz province, in southwestern Yemen, and a missile strike on Sahar district in the northern province of Saada. Forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government also released images said to show a Houthi drone shot down on Mount Sabr in Taiz.

The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Major General Turki al-Maliki, said that on the morning of October 12 its forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward al-Kharj province, along with a drone in the kingdom's Eastern Province.

On October 11, Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, spokesman for Yemeni government forces, said at least 1,150 Houthi fighters had been killed in nearly 2,000 targeted operations across the country since the internationally recognised government launched its counter-offensive. He said the army had destroyed ammunition depots and at least 180 Houthi combat, transport and supply vehicles, and that ground forces "continue to press the offensive." Al Jazeera could not independently verify the opposing claims.

Fighting has intensified on multiple fronts in Yemen since Saudi-backed government forces launched the "Yemen Dawn" operation on October 4 to retake Houthi-held territory, including the port city of Mocha and Mayun island. Government forces say they have retaken Mocha and the nearby Dhubab district by the strait, though the Houthis deny this. The Houthis have also tightened their siege of Taiz after seizing areas south of the city earlier this month, including al-Turbah; Taiz is one of the most fiercely contested cities in the war. Fighting has also spread to Marib and al-Jawf, two provinces east of Sanaa, where government forces report advances against Houthi positions.

International reaction

The airport attack was condemned by the United States and the United Nations, while several foreign governments warned citizens to avoid the airport. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was among the dead and condemned the attack: "These reprehensible attacks show a blatant disregard for innocent civilian lives. They must stop immediately."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the October 11 strike, stressing that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law. The United States, Canada, Germany and several other countries issued travel warnings, while some diplomatic missions restricted staff travel through the airport. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack "barbaric" and reaffirmed Islamabad's commitment to Saudi Arabia's security.

On October 5, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to activate "deterrent measures" under a joint defence pact and rapidly deploy forces to the kingdom to counter the Houthis, weeks after the three countries signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in Mecca.

Will the US join strikes on the Houthis?

Trump has left open the possibility of US military involvement but has not announced a decision. "Possibly. We'll look at it," he told reporters on October 11, saying he planned to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and calling the attack "unacceptable."

According to US media, Washington has shared intelligence, target identification and planning support for the latest Saudi-backed campaign. When the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015, Washington provided intelligence, logistical support and weapons but did not directly take part in coalition airstrikes. In 2021, the Biden administration ended support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, citing the humanitarian crisis; by then more than 100,000 Yemenis had been killed and millions displaced.