RIYADH, October 08, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia killed three people and wounded 36, authorities said Wednesday, as fighting between Iran-aligned Houthi forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops intensified around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
One person was killed and eight wounded at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while two people were killed and 28 wounded at facilities at Abha airport, Saudi civil aviation authorities said. The attacks took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, but authorities did not specify which occurred on each day.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis vowed retaliation, saying the attacks “will not go unpunished”. Later Wednesday, it said it had struck more than 80 Houthi military sites in the Yemeni governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.
The Houthis also targeted Aden’s international airport with ballistic missiles and drones carrying explosives, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said. One missile landed near the runway shortly before a Cairo flight was due to arrive. The airport is the main international gateway for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted King Khalid airport with several drones. The Saudi-led coalition separately said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh and was tracking its launch platform in Houthi-controlled Sanaa.
The latest attacks came as battles intensified near Bab el-Mandeb, a vital shipping route whose importance for energy trade has increased as the wider US-Iran conflict has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, launched a counteroffensive this week to retake territory near the strait and around Mocha that the Houthis captured in September. It remains unclear whether the government forces can hold their gains.
Fighting on the western front has centered on Dhubab district overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, with pro-government forces seeking to advance into strategic hills east of the coastal plain, Yemeni military and government sources said.
The Yemeni government said Monday that its forces had reached Mocha, but military officials on the ground and analysts said the claim was premature.
The escalation has displaced more than 200,000 people since the latest fighting began, the International Organization for Migration said. “People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said, urging greater funding for food and shelter. The United Nations says three in four families are going hungry in parts of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has sought international support against the Houthis. Turkey is providing mainly defensive and technical assistance, while Syria is considering possible military support, according to officials. Options under discussion include defensive deployments in Saudi Arabia or forces to support Saudi-backed Yemeni troops.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention. Riyadh and its allies accuse Iran of arming, training and financing the group, allegations denied by both the Houthis and Tehran.