Saudi Arabia has intensified its military campaign in Yemen after Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched a sustained wave of missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, including strikes on Riyadh’s international airport that killed at least 14 people and forced the closure of King Khalid International Airport until October 17, according to reports.
The deadliest attack came on Saturday, October 10, when an explosion tore through a passenger terminal at the Riyadh airport, killing 13 people and injuring more than 300, according to Saudi authorities. A second strike on Sunday hit Terminal 4, causing a fire that killed one person and injured 11 others, aviation authorities said.
A week of attacks on Saudi airports
The weekend attacks followed an already deadly run-up. Strikes on Abha International Airport on October 6 and Riyadh’s airport on October 7 killed three people and injured 36, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation, while two attacks on October 8 killed three Saudi citizens and damaged a Saudia aircraft, Aviation Week reported. Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport was also attacked late on October 11.
Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator extended the shutdown this week, with an official notice to airmen showing King Khalid International Airport closed until 9pm GMT on October 17. On Monday, air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, coalition officials said, and Saudi civil defence issued emergency alerts through its National Early Warning Platform warning Riyadh residents of potential danger before later saying the danger had passed.
Escalation reverberates through oil markets
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attacks, warning that all global airlines risked the consequences of continuing to fly in Saudi airspace. On Wednesday, Saudi authorities said falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles wounded four civilians in Riyadh, while an administrative building belonging to state oil giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran caught fire after being struck. The energy ministry said production was unaffected.
The disruption extends an already volatile period for global energy markets, with diplomats separately tracking an energy truce in the Russia-Ukraine conflict that remains unconfirmed by Moscow and Kyiv. Meanwhile, maritime flashpoints elsewhere are adding to the strain on global shipping lanes, raising concerns among insurers and shippers.
Europe’s EASA aviation safety body has widened the area of Saudi airspace it recommends airlines avoid, and the flight-risk advisory group OPSGROUP issued a do-not-fly recommendation for the kingdom. Analysts say sustained attacks of this kind on civil aviation are without precedent, and Brent crude futures held near $106 a barrel on Wednesday as traders weighed the risk of further escalation. For ongoing coverage of the aviation response, see Aviation Week’s reporting on the Saudi airport attacks.
