Saudi Arabia has issued a warning after a fourth attack on Riyadh's international airport in a week left one person dead and 11 injured. A Saudi military spokesman said a projectile hit the international airport on Sunday, causing a fire in a passenger hall.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that one person, a Pakistani resident, was killed in the attack. In response, Saudi Arabia's energy minister said the country's response will be "equally serious".
Escalation of Houthi attacks
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman made the comments after Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was struck four times in five days during an escalation of Houthi missile and drone attacks linked to the renewed conflict in Yemen.
A strike on the same airport killed 13 people and injured 308 others on Saturday. The attack was the deadliest in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war, and there have been a series of other attacks earlier in the week.
A Saudi statement said the dead included four Saudi citizens as well as two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a US citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese.
Houthi claims and US stance
Earlier today, the Houthis in Yemen said airstrikes had targeted two districts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa overnight, which the Iranian-backed rebel group claims control over. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the reports.
The group previously warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi Arabian airports and airspace, adding that they targeted the airport with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. They claim to be targeting Saudi Arabia over its support for government forces in Yemen's civil war, as well as an air strike on the airport in Sanaa.
US President Donald Trump told reporters he was evaluating whether the US should join Saudi strikes on the Houthis. "We may. We're going to look at it," he said. "We just found out about the recent attack. So we'll make a decision. We move very quickly."
UK travel advice
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to the cities of Jeddah and Dammam, and to all airports in Saudi Arabia except for Medina International Airport.
An FCDO spokesperson said: "Following a serious incident at King Khalid International Airport on 10 October 2026 at approximately 1500 (local time), we advise British nationals to avoid King Khalid International Airport until the airport is secure and to monitor the advice of the Saudi authorities."
