Houthi missiles killed 13 people and wounded over 300 at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10 October and 11 October1. The figures come from the United Nations Security Council. The Houthis, the Iran-aligned movement that holds northern Yemen, had been hitting Saudi airports since 6 October, starting at Jazan and Najran.
Saudi authorities said strikes on Riyadh and Abha killed three foreign nationals on 7 October. A strike on Riyadh on 8 October killed three Saudi citizens, one an airline pilot2. The dead in Riyadh included nationals of Bangladesh, India, Egypt, Sudan and the United States, The National reported3.
A month earlier Saudi Arabia absorbed a drone strike on Petroline, its east-west pipeline built to bypass Hormuz, and held fire at Baghdad's request. The Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis for more than a decade, mostly from the air. This month's campaign reached the capital's main airport on its second day.
Qatar Airways suspended Riyadh and Dammam flights, and Etihad Airways cancelled flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, with Abu Dhabi-Riyadh off until 19 October4. The Houthis also claim strikes on Saudi Aramco at Dhahran and on a refinery in Riyadh5. No independent source confirms either claim; the Council text mentions Aramco facilities without naming a site or a date.
