The Saudi-led coalition struck Houthi missile facilities in Yemen on October 26, 2026, a day after explosions rattled Riyadh and authorities warned residents of a “hostile aerial threat.” The operation followed what the Houthis called a Riyadh airport attack.
Major General Turki Al-Malki, the coalition’s spokesman, said the strikes destroyed five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four launchers and a missile storage site. The Saudi Press Agency carried his statement at 07:19 local time, or 04:19 GMT.
The Houthis made a fresh claim on Monday. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said a missile had hit the airport “with a ballistic missile, striking the target with precision,” and said drones had targeted oil pumping stations.
The coalition separately said air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. Al-Malki said the operation also targeted supply routes, fortifications, personnel and military equipment along Yemen’s front lines.
Passengers still faced cancellations after the airport reopened
King Khalid International Airport partially resumed flights on Sunday after a two-week closure. Its website listed domestic and international services, including arrivals from Dubai, Paris and Cairo. Flight-tracking data showed some departures, though most listed flights were cancelled.
The airport assigned Terminal 1 to domestic services and Terminal 2 to international flights operated by national carriers. The Houthis warned airlines, airport staff and travelers against using the airport, calling it “unsafe” and a military target.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international, regional and local airlines — as well as staff and travellers — against using King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as it is unsafe and serves as a military target for our forces.”
Saree also warned against using Saudi airspace, while excluding the airspace over Mecca and Medina. He said the Saudi government would bear the consequences of airport operations and threatened further attacks.
The airport had suspended services after earlier attacks caused deaths and injuries. The closure disrupted travel plans for thousands of passengers and forced the postponement of the kingdom’s flagship investment conference until 2027.
Missile interceptions left debris damage in two governorates
The coalition said Sunday it intercepted and destroyed 12 missiles and two drones launched toward Saudi Arabia, including a ballistic missile and two drones aimed at the Riyadh region. Earlier that day, it had reported intercepting at least 10 ballistic missiles.
Later, the coalition said it intercepted a cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait. The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted missiles injured a Saudi citizen and an Asian resident in Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah governorates.
Debris damaged three residential buildings and seven vehicles, the agency said. Authorities also issued warnings for Abha city and Namas Governorate.
The Houthis claimed they launched dozens of missiles in three operations on Sunday. They said the first targeted the airport and “successfully achieved its objective,” and named King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and a Saudi Border Guard naval base in Jazan as other targets.
A resident of Khamis Mushait, speaking anonymously, described the blasts: “The bombardment has been very heavy since this morning — may God keep us safe. Everything is shaking because of the explosions”.
Saudi authorities released images showing damage to a building’s upper facade and shattered windows, with glass across pavement and part of a road. Houthi-run Saba news agency, citing a military source, warned workers and civilians not to approach Saudi oil facilities. It also cautioned Saudi Aramco shareholders of “losses” if they continued to hold shares in the company.
Both sides blamed the other for a wider string of strikes
The exchanges had intensified by Saturday, October 24. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group launched seven missile and drone attacks targeting airports, oil facilities and a military base in Riyadh, Yanbu, Rabigh, Dammam, Najran and Khamis Mushait.
Sarea said the airport was targeted in two stages. He also named Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The coalition said it intercepted missiles headed toward Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, along with a drone in the Eastern Province.
Saudi civil defense said debris from two intercepted missiles fell in the Mecca and Medina regions. The Houthis denied targeting the two holy cities and called the allegation “false and unfounded.”
The group said the Saturday attacks followed what it described as 100 Saudi airstrikes in Houthi-held areas during the preceding 24 hours. It named Sanaa and Mocha, a Red Sea port city in Taiz province. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported eight people killed and more than 10 others wounded in strikes on housing for cement factory workers in Hamdan district, Sanaa province.
The Houthis also said their forces targeted Saudi-backed “mobilizations” at Al-Nasr camp and a naval base in Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based. A local security official said the Houthis fired about four ballistic missiles at the city.
Some missiles reportedly struck near Aden International Airport and military facilities in Khormaksar district. Another hit the Coast Guard Troops headquarters in Al-Tawahi district, the official said. The attacks came as government forces backed by the coalition intensified their “Dawn of Yemen” offensive against the Houthis.
On Sunday, Saree alleged that Saudi Arabia had carried out 56 airstrikes and missile attacks during the previous day in Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb. He said Saudi aircraft had taken off from Khamis Mushait and Taif, with missiles launched from Najran.
The Houthis said the attacks answered what they called “Saudi aggression” on Sanaa and other areas under their control. A local security official reported loud explosions around Salah al-Din in Aden’s Al-Buraiqa district; there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Airport attacks have disrupted travel and prompted new air-defense talks
The airport’s closure followed a Houthi attack earlier this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. It was the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. The Dakar Rally was among events cancelled, postponed or relocated amid the conflict.
As airport operations resumed, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mitsotakis’s office said he “responded favourably to the kingdom's request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances.” Greece had deployed a battery to operate the US-made system in Yanbu, a major oil-export hub on the Red Sea coast.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Cairo on Sunday. Fahmy said the league rejected attacks on Arab countries and reaffirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its right to defend its security and sovereignty.
Yemen’s conflict dates to late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north. The coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. A years-long truce broke down in the summer amid a wider US-Iran war that began in February.
