Saudi Arabia intercept missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthis on an almost daily basis, but on October 10, 2026 one projectile slipped through and struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, killing 12 people and wounding 309.

According to Al Jazeera, it was the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade. The kingdom’s civil aviation authority suspended operations and diverted all flights, and the United States and United Kingdom issued new travel warnings for their citizens. Two days later, the authority said at least three people were wounded in attacks on Jazan and Najran airports near the Yemeni border.

The Houthis, the armed group also known as Ansar Allah, claimed two further attacks on the Riyadh air hub the same week. On Sunday, October 11, 2026, they warned people to avoid Saudi airports altogether. Six days after that, the Saudi-led coalition announced its latest successful intercept.

Key Facts

  • On October 10, 2026, a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and wounded 309, per Saudi authorities.
  • Saudi Arabia’s 2026 budget lists $83 billion for military spending, and Riyadh signed a $9 billion deal with Washington for 730 Patriot missiles, according to the Hartford Courant.
  • The Houthis grew from roughly 30,000 fighters in 2015 to up to 350,000 by 2024, according to a United Nations estimate.
  • On October 14, 2026, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said a ballistic missile launched north of Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed.
  • Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptors and has asked allies for help, regional officials told the Courant.

Saudi Arabia intercept missiles and drones, so why does the Houthi war rages on?

Because no air defense grid, however expensive, can cover everything. Saudi Arabia is roughly three times the size of Texas, and its border with Yemen runs more than 1,300 kilometers through rugged desert. Airports, oil facilities and military bases are scattered across sparsely populated territory.

“Expecting a country the size of Saudi Arabia to intercept every missile is simply unrealistic. No defense can guarantee complete protection.”

Ali Shihabi, Saudi analyst, online post

The kingdom owns one of the world’s priciest arsenals. It is the top purchaser of American weapons and received 12% of all U.S. arms exports from 2021 to 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. It flies F-15 warplanes and fields Patriot batteries. Yet as we covered in our report on Saudi forces shooting down a Houthi missileshooting down most projectiles has not stopped the headlines from writing themselves.

Why are Houthi missiles breaking through Saudi Arabia’s air defenses?

The Houthis mix weapons of different speeds, sending drones and missiles in overlapping waves to confuse radars. Analyst Nawaf Obaid told Al Jazeera that dozens of Houthi attempts are thwarted for every successful strike, but that one will always come through.

There is also a stockpile problem. Wolfgang Pusztai, a security and defense analyst, told Al Jazeera that Saudi missile defenses were built mainly to counter Iran, and that Patriot and THAAD munitions were rapidly expended by the U.S. and its allies in the early months of the war with Iran. Riyadh has reportedly asked friendly countries to send air defense support, and is likely re-orienting some defenses toward Yemen.

How big is the Houthi set?

Large enough to reach Israel, roughly 2,000 kilometers from Yemen. Its most advanced weapons include the Palestine-2, a two-stage solid-fuel ballistic missile believed to have a range of 2,000 kilometers with hypersonic capabilities, and the Toufan, thought to be a rebranded Iranian Ghadr missile with a range of 1,350 to 1,950 kilometers. Shorter-range Burkan and Badr missiles have been used in cross-border strikes into Saudi Arabia.

Obaid told Al Jazeera that the set is essentially derived from Iranian weaponry, with some Chinese technological influences, and that the Houthis have shown “little evidence of significant indigenous technological innovation.” Yemen’s government has separately alleged that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is helping the group develop loitering cruise missiles.

The group has fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel since October 2023. Most were intercepted, but a handful landed, one killed an Israeli man, and another hit an Israeli airport. Andreas Krieg, a professor at King’s College London, told the Courant that experience has given the Houthis confidence against sophisticated defenses, because they have learned to over-saturate radars. Their reach toward Islam’s holiest sites has alarmed the region, as we reported in our story on Houthi missile debris hitting Mecca and Medina

What is happening on the ground in Yemen?

A rapid Houthi offensive. After a four-year ceasefire, the group seized Yemen’s entire western Red Sea coastline, including territory near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical shipping chokepoint. Sources on both sides told AFP that more than 270 government troops and Houthi fighters were killed in a single day in mid-October. Tens of thousands of civilians have run, as documented in our report on thousands fleeing Yemen by sea

Yemen’s government, backed by Saudi air power, claims it has pushed the Houthis back around Bab al-Mandab and the port city of Mocha. The Houthis deny it. Neither side’s claims can be independently verified. The Houthi health ministry says a Saudi airstrike killed six members of one family, including four children, in Hajjah governorate. The broader stakes are laid out in our world war map of 2026and the human cost in our coverage of Yemen’s deadliest Houthi missile strike

Who is helping Saudi Arabia defend itself?

On paper, plenty. On Monday, October 12, 2026, Pakistan and Turkey pledged to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact. But the Courant reports that so far both countries appear to be largely staying on the sidelines. President Donald Trump said this week he is evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes on the Houthis. He has announced no decision.

What comes next?

Several analysts told the Courant that Riyadh will avoid sending troops into Yemen and instead launch airstrikes and back government forces. “It will be surrogate warfare,” Krieg said. Michael Ratney, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the attacks on civilian airports marked a model shift, and that Saudi Arabia must strike back while preventing the war from spinning out of control. The Houthis, meanwhile, control about one-third of Yemen and, in the view of one Chatham House fellow, feel untouchable.

FAQ

Why are Houthi missiles getting through Saudi defenses?

The Houthis fire mixed waves of drones and missiles at different speeds to confuse radars, and Saudi interceptor stockpiles have been drained, partly by the earlier war with Iran. The kingdom’s vast territory and 1,300-kilometer border with Yemen also make total coverage impossible.

What is the Palestine-2 missile?

The Palestine-2 is a Houthi medium-range ballistic missile with two solid-fuel stages, believed to have a range of 2,000 kilometers and hypersonic capabilities. Some warheads change direction during flight, which complicates interception.

How many people died in the Riyadh airport attack?

Twelve people were killed and 309 wounded in the October 10, 2026 strike on King Khalid International Airport, according to Saudi authorities. It was the deadliest attack inside the kingdom in more than a decade.

Who backs the Houthis?

Iran supports the group, but former U.S. ambassador Michael Ratney describes the relationship as symbiotic rather than one of puppet and master. The Houthis are also under a UN-mandated arms embargo and a years-long Saudi blockade.

Are Pakistan and Turkey defending Saudi Arabia?

Both pledged on October 12, 2026 to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact. So far, according to the Hartford Courant, they appear to be largely limiting their involvement.

Sources: Hartford Courant – Al Jazeera – Al-MonitorUpdated: October 25, 2026.