16/10/2026
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16/10/2026
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RIYADH, Oct 16: A total of 19 people have been killed and 364 injured in Houthi attacks targeting Saudi airports, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, according to figures announced by the Saudi-led coalition.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia had intensified since the beginning of October, following an escalation by the Iran-aligned group since July.
Speaking at a news conference broadcast by Saudi Al-Ekhbariya television, Al-Maliki said King Khalid International Airport had been targeted in approximately 20 attacks since Oct 1.
Between Oct 7 and 11, attacks targeting the Riyadh airport killed 17 people and injured 333 others, he said.
A separate attack on Abha International Airport in the southwestern Asir region killed two people and injured 28, while three others were injured in an attack targeting King Abdullah International Airport in the southwestern Jazan region.
According to the coalition, five Saudi airports, including Riyadh's main airport, have come under Houthi attacks since Oct 5. The attacks have caused casualties, property damage and disruptions to air traffic.
Al-Maliki said the Houthis had launched a total of 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones, or 2,239 projectiles in all, at Saudi Arabia since the start of the coalition's operations.
He also announced that coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile targeting the Medina region on Wednesday.
The spokesman said the coalition's Joint Forces Command had conducted a targeted operation in Sanaa in response to Houthi attacks. He added that coalition operations would continue to counter the group's military capabilities and threats to maritime navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
Al-Maliki said the Houthis had attempted to target dozens of airports, oil facilities and ports in Saudi Arabia. He also accused the group of acquiring advanced military technologies with assistance from regional parties, including ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and explosive-laden speedboats.
He warned that the group's capabilities posed a threat to regional and international security, while describing the attacks as part of a sustained hostile campaign against Saudi Arabia, including the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Meanwhile, Yemen's Ministry of Information said Prime Minister Dr Shayea al-Zindani and members of the government were safe following a missile attack on Maashiq Palace in Aden, the country's interim capital.
The ministry said the Iranian-backed Houthi militia had fired several missiles at the palace, killing several members of the security detail. It did not provide further details on the casualties.
