Deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen conflict

Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi airports killing three people and injuring 36 others this week, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said Wednesday, as the conflict in Yemen increasingly spills across the border into the kingdom.

In a statement, GACA said Abha International Airport, near the Yemen border, and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport came under attack on October 6 and 7.

The attacks prompted a security alert from the US Mission in Saudi Arabia, warning American citizens of potential drone and missile attacks and cautioned that the conflict could escalate.

“The Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including against civilian airports, and the military conflict has the potential to escalate,” the mission said Wednesday. “US citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.”

The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of northern Yemen including the capital, Sanaa, have been at war with the internationally recognized Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.

The conflict flared up in July 2026, shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire unraveled, with Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in an expansion of the Middle East war. Riyadh has responded with airstrikes in support of Yemeni government forces.

According to GACA, the attack on Abha International Airport on Tuesday killed two female residents, one Moroccan and one Algerian national, and wounded 28 others, including Saudi citizens as well as Bangladeshi and Filipino residents.

A separate attack on King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh on Wednesday killed a Sudanese resident and wounded eight people, including five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident, the authority said.

The Houthi-controlled armed forces claimed responsibility for both attacks. The group said it had targeted King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile and claimed the strike disrupted air traffic in Riyadh.

Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces had destroyed the ballistic missile launcher used in the attack on Riyadh. In a post on X, al-Maliki said the launcher was destroyed in Sanaa while preparations were underway for “another imminent attack against Saudi Arabia.”

A day earlier, the Houthis said they had carried out a ballistic missile attack on Abha International Airport and similarly claimed it had disrupted airport operations.

The group also renewed its warning to international airlines against operating flights through Saudi airspace, saying it had become “a theater for our military operations,” while excluding the airspace around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the Houthi claims.

The attacks come as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces press ahead with Operation “Dawn of Yemen,” a major offensive aimed at rolling back recent gains made by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Ahmad Al-Basha/AFP/Getty Images

The escalation has also prompted Saudi Arabia to strengthen defense cooperation with regional allies. Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to move forward with the implementation of collective defense measures under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, often referred to as the Mecca Alliance.

Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout/Reuters

Saudi Arabia turns to Muslim military heavyweights in landmark defense pact as Iran war closes in

In a joint statement following an emergency meeting in Riyadh, the three countries said they would move immediately to implement collective defense commitments and ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s military confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that Pakistani forces are already stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of the alliance. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security was “absolute” and described the alliance as a mechanism for collective defense and deterrence. He added that the pact includes a NATO-style provision under which an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all.

The United States has also increased its support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign. More than 100 US military advisers are currently in Saudi Arabia providing intelligence and targeting support to the kingdom’s military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis, CNN reported last month citing multiple sources familiar with the effort.

The assistance comes as fighting intensifies on the Arabian Peninsula and raises concerns that the conflict could expand further, potentially threatening a second major maritime corridor in the Middle East in addition to the Red Sea.

In recent days, Yemeni government forces have claimed advances near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while the Houthis have responded with missile and drone attacks against targets inside Saudi Arabia.

The strikes on airports in both southern Saudi Arabia and the capital underscore how the conflict is increasingly affecting Saudi territory as Riyadh deepens its support for the Yemeni government’s military campaign.

With civilian infrastructure now coming under renewed attack, the hostilities are showing signs of expanding beyond the battlefield in Yemen and posing a growing challenge to Saudi security and transportation networks.

The activation of the Mecca Alliance and confirmation that Pakistani forces are already deployed in the kingdom suggest Saudi Arabia and its allies are preparing for the possibility of a broader regional security confrontation.

CNN’s Ivan Watson and Sophia Saifi contributed to the report.

沙特阿拉伯民航总局（GACA）周三表示，胡塞武装本周袭击了沙特两座机场，造成3人死亡，36人受伤。也门冲突正日益蔓延至沙特境内。

沙特民航总局在一份声明中表示，靠近也门边境的艾卜哈国际机场和利雅得的哈立德国王国际机场分别于 10 月 6 日和 7 日遭到袭击。

袭击事件促使美国驻沙特阿拉伯使团发布安全警报，警告美国公民可能遭受无人机和导弹袭击，并告诫冲突可能会升级。

“胡塞武装已对沙特阿拉伯发动敌对行动，包括袭击民用机场，军事冲突有可能升级，”该使团周三表示。“美国公民应注意可能出现的航班取消、空域关闭和旅行中断。”

胡塞武装是一个受伊朗支持的武装组织，控制着也门北部的大部分地区，包括首都萨那。自 2015 年以来，胡塞武装一直与国际社会承认的也门政府和沙特领导的联军交战。

2026年7月，就在美伊停火协议破裂后不久，冲突再次爆发。胡塞武装向沙特阿拉伯的石油设施和油轮发动导弹袭击，导致中东战事升级。利雅得方面随即发动空袭，支援也门政府军。

据沙特民航总局称，周二发生在艾卜哈国际机场的袭击事件造成两名女性居民死亡，其中一人为摩洛哥公民，另一人为阿尔及利亚公民；另有 28 人受伤，其中包括沙特公民以及孟加拉国和菲律宾居民。

当局称，周三在首都利雅得的哈立德国王国际机场发生的另一起袭击事件造成一名苏丹居民死亡，另有八人受伤，其中包括五名沙特公民、两名埃及居民和一名巴基斯坦居民。

胡塞武装声称对这两起袭击事件负责。该组织表示，他们使用弹道导弹袭击了哈立德国王国际机场，并声称此次袭击扰乱了利雅得的空中交通。

沙特阿拉伯军方发言人图尔基·马利基少将表示，沙特军队已摧毁了袭击利雅得所使用的弹道导弹发射器。马利基在X网站上发帖称，该发射器在萨那被摧毁，当时“针对沙特阿拉伯的另一次迫在眉睫的袭击”的准备工作正在进行中。

前一天，胡塞武装声称他们对艾卜哈国际机场发动了弹道导弹袭击，并声称袭击扰乱了机场的运营。

该组织再次警告国际航空公司不要在沙特阿拉伯领空运营航班，称沙特阿拉伯领空已成为“我们军事行动的战场”，但不包括圣城麦加和麦地那周围的空域。

沙特当局尚未对胡塞武装的说法作出回应。

此次袭击发生之际，沙特支持的也门政府军正加紧推进“也门黎明”行动，这是一场旨在扭转伊朗支持的胡塞武装近期取得的战果的大规模攻势。

艾哈迈德·阿尔-巴沙/法新社/盖蒂图片社

局势升级也促使沙特阿拉伯加强与地区盟友的防务合作。本周早些时候，沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦同意推进落实《麦加联合防御协议》（通常被称为“麦加联盟”）下的集体防御措施。

穆拉特·切廷穆胡尔达尔/土耳其总统新闻办公室/供图/路透社

随着伊朗战争逼近，沙特阿拉伯与穆斯林军事强国签署了一项具有里程碑意义的防御协议。

在利雅得举行的紧急会议后，三国发表联合声明称，将立即采取行动落实集体防御承诺，并确保在沙特阿拉伯迅速部署军事力量和能力。

巴基斯坦军方周三向美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）证实，巴基斯坦军队已作为联盟的一部分驻扎在沙特阿拉伯。艾哈迈德·谢里夫·乔杜里中将表示，巴基斯坦对沙特阿拉伯安全的承诺是“绝对的”，并将该联盟描述为集体防御和威慑机制。他还补充说，该协议包含一项类似北约的条款，即对任何一个成员国的攻击都将被视为对所有成员国的攻击。

美国也加大了对沙特阿拉伯军事行动的支持力度。据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）上月援引多位知情人士报道，目前有超过100名美国军事顾问在沙特阿拉伯，为沙特打击伊朗支持的胡塞武装的军事行动提供情报和目标定位支持。

此次援助正值阿拉伯半岛战事愈演愈烈之际，引发了人们对冲突可能进一步扩大的担忧，除了红海之外，冲突还可能威胁到中东的第二个主要海上通道。

近日，也门政府军声称在也门红海沿岸的战略要地曼德海峡附近取得进展，而胡塞武装则以导弹和无人机袭击沙特阿拉伯境内的目标作为回应。

对沙特阿拉伯南部和首都利雅得机场的袭击凸显了冲突如何日益影响沙特领土，因为利雅得正在加深对也门政府军事行动的支持。

随着民用基础设施再次遭到攻击，敌对行动有迹象表明，冲突正在也门战场之外蔓延，对沙特阿拉伯的安全和交通网络构成日益严峻的挑战。

麦加联盟的启动以及巴基斯坦军队已部署在沙特阿拉伯境内的消息证实，沙特阿拉伯及其盟友正在为可能发生的更广泛的地区安全对抗做准备。

CNN的伊万·沃森和索菲娅·赛菲对本报道亦有贡献。