Houthis Claim Strikes on Riyadh, Dammam and Najran Airports and Saudi Oil Sites as Riyadh Airport Reopens

Yemen's Houthis have claimed a wave of missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia's airports, oil facilities and a southern air base, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, even as the airport announced it would resume flights on Sunday after weeks of closures following deadly attacks.

Main News Report

AFP reported that the Houthis launched fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia and the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government on Saturday, after blaming the kingdom for strikes the group said killed 17 people. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched missiles at "King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of the Saudi enemy, in two phases", as well as the airports in Dammam in the east and Najran in the south.

ANI reported that Saree also claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and the Rabigh Refinery, and renewed a warning to airlines, workers and travellers not to use King Khalid Airport, calling it a "military target". IANS reported that the group said it launched seven missile and drone attacks in total, hitting targets in Riyadh, Yanbu, Rabigh, Dammam, Najran and Khamis Mushait, where it also struck the southern air base.

The Houthis also attacked targets in the east-west crude oil pipeline system. AFP reported that the group hit "crude oil pumping stations and the crude oil pipeline from east to west", the route that carries Saudi crude from the Gulf coast to the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency said it had responded to falling debris in the Mecca and Medina regions on Saturday after intercepting two Houthi missiles. The Houthis denied targeting the two holy cities, calling the Saudi claim a "huge lie". IANS reported that the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed several missiles launched towards Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, as well as a drone in the Eastern Province. PakInsight Hub reported on Saturday that the coalition had destroyed Houthi missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu as civil defence alerts sounded in Makkah and Jeddah.

The Houthis also fired at Aden, the interim seat of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. AFP reported that the group said it targeted a naval base and a military camp overseen by Saudi forces, while a local security official told Xinhua that nearly four ballistic missiles were fired at the city, some striking near Aden International Airport and military facilities in the Khormaksar district, and another hitting the Coast Guard headquarters in Al-Tawahi.

Despite the claims, Riyadh's airport said it would press ahead with reopening. AFP reported that King Khalid International Airport said it would resume domestic and international flights "effective Sunday", after it was closed following several deadly attacks this month. ANI reported that Terminal 1 will handle domestic flights and Terminal 2 international flights operated by Saudi national carriers.

Background Context

Yemen's civil war, pitting the Iran-backed Houthis against the Saudi-supported and internationally recognised government, had been dormant since a ceasefire in 2022, but erupted again in July after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace. The Houthis then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before launching a major offensive in September in which they seized Yemeni government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.

An attack on Riyadh airport earlier this month killed 13 people and forced it to shut, and this week the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, citing the Houthi threat. PakInsight Hub reported that Washington ordered diplomats out after Houthi strikes killed three people and hit the Shaybah oilfield.

Yanbu matters to Riyadh's war economy: it is a major oil export hub on the Red Sea coast that has allowed the kingdom to bypass Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for much of its crude exports via the east-west pipeline. PakInsight Hub reported that Brent crude hit a six-month high of $116.72 a barrel on Friday as Houthi strikes rattled the region.

Reactions and Statements

The Houthis framed Saturday's attacks as retaliation. Their Al-Masirah television channel accused the kingdom of separate strikes in Yemen that killed more than a dozen people: a strike on a house in Sanaa killed at least four people, another at a residential building for cement factory workers killed eight, and another outside the city of Hodeida killed five from the same family. Riyadh has not claimed the alleged strikes. IANS reported that the Houthis said their attacks followed what they described as 100 Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-held areas over the previous 24 hours, including Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of Mocha.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki said air defences had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia towards Taif and Yanbu. AFP reported that Egypt has suggested sending troops to help defend Saudi Arabia, while Britain and France have offered their forces to protect the Gulf kingdom.

Washington moved again on travel advice. IANS reported that the US State Department said on Saturday it had updated its travel advisories for Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel, citing threats from the Houthis. ANI reported that the updated UAE advisory keeps the "Reconsider Travel" level but warns of an increase in potential armed attacks by Iranian-supported Houthi forces.

Why This News Matters

For Pakistan, this escalation lands close to home. Saudi Arabia hosts a large Pakistani expatriate community whose remittances are a lifeline for Pakistan's economy, and any disruption to flights or security in the kingdom is felt directly by Pakistani workers and their families. The civil defence alerts in the Mecca and Medina regions also matter to the thousands of Pakistanis travelling for Umrah.

The energy angle hits Pakistani households too. With Brent crude already at a six-month high, fresh attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and the east-west pipeline threaten to push fuel prices higher still — the same pressures behind the diesel and petrol price moves of the past week. The fighting also widens the regional war in which Pakistan is already playing a mediation role: PakInsight Hub reported that Iran has denied offering the United States a new Hormuz deal through Pakistani mediators, even as Washington weighs a possible strike on Iran as early as Sunday.

Future Developments

All eyes now turn to whether King Khalid Airport's flights actually operate safely on Sunday, and whether the Houthis follow through on their warning to airlines. The coalition's response to the airport, energy and Aden claims will show whether this round escalates further or burns out, and Yemen's government forces say their "Dawn of Yemen" offensive against the Houthis is intensifying.

The wider clock is Washington's: with the US president hinting at a possible strike on Iran as early as Sunday or a major deal with Tehran, the next 24 hours could decide whether the region's two wars merge into one wider confrontation. PakInsight Hub will continue to follow the Saudi-Houthi fighting, the airport reopening, any US move on Iran and the knock-on effects for Pakistan's fuel prices.

Sources

• Malay Mail / AFP — "Houthis strike Saudi airports, energy sites and Aden after blaming Riyadh for deadly attacks" (25 October 2026)
• The Tribune / ANI — "Houthis targeted airports, refineries across Saudi Arabia" (25 October 2026)
• The Hawk / IANS — "Houthis, Saudi-led coalition exchange heavy strikes, fresh casualties reported" (25 October 2026)

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