12 killed and over 300 hurt in latest attack on Riyadh airport, Saudi authorities say

A missile struck the King Khalid International Airport complex in Riyadh on Saturday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 300. Saudi authorities said several victims were in critical condition, while a Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Airport operations were suspended and the closure was extended until 9 p.m. Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the rebels.

The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, and one person each from Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.

The missile hit a complex containing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, and the airport has no military facilities.

Saudi authorities said injured people were being treated at several hospitals, while flights were diverted to other airports.

The attack followed a Saudi-led coalition offensive against the Houthis and was described as the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war.

Published Oct 11, 2026 7:57 am KST

Updated Oct 11, 2026 4:27 pm KST

This image from video obtained and verified by AP shows thick black smoke and flames rising from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 9. AP-Yonhap

CAIRO — The latest attack on the international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh killed 12 people and injured over 300 others, civil aviation authorities said Sunday, with some in critical condition. A Saudi-led coalition blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.

It was the deadliest attack in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran war, whose fronts have expanded to include the recent surge in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

A missile struck a King Khalid International Airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4 for domestic flights, a regional official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.

The Saudi statement said the dead included four Saudi citizens as well as two Bangladeshi nationals, a Palestinian, a U.S. citizen, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian and a Sudanese. It said the injured were being treated at several hospitals.

Footage posted on social media following the attack and analyzed by The Associated Press shows emergency vehicles outside the airport.

Saudi civil aviation authorities on Saturday said airport operations were suspended. The closure was later extended by 24 hours until 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the flight tracking platform Flightradar 24.

Trump said he would consider joining strikes against rebels

The attack — the latest of several in the past week on the airport — is expected to increase Saudi pressure on allies including the United States to provide military support for the kingdom, which has seemingly tried to avoid all-out war with the Houthis.

Shortly after the attack on Saturday afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the rebels. “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.”

Trump later Saturday said he planned to speak to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and said “what happened in Saudi Arabia is not acceptable.” Asked if the U.S. might get involved, Trump responded, “We’ll find out.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged in a social media post that an American citizen had been killed in the attack, which he condemned.

“These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” he said.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis blamed them for the attack, calling it a “fully-fledged war crime” and vowing a firm response. The airport has no military facilities.

There was no immediate statement from the rebels, who earlier Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital.

The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis , including a pilot. The surge in attacks, including against other Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure, has come in the week since a Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive against the Houthis.

The airport had a heavy police presence on Saturday, with all entrances blocked, and lights around the complex were dimmed. Flights diverted elsewhere, Flightradar24 said. Countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned citizens to avoid the airport.

Also Saturday, U.S. Central Command said a fighter jet struck and disabled a commercial cargo vessel with a precision munition in the Gulf of Oman, part of U.S. efforts to maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica had departed an Iranian port and did not heed repeated warnings. The ship’s crew was unharmed, CENTCOM said.

An ambulance is parked outside King Khalid International Airport after several people were wounded in an attack on the airport that forced a suspension of operations, according to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 10, in this screengrab obtained from social media video. Reuters-Yonhap

For Iran, the fighting puts pressure on a key US ally

The attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have rattled markets and the region. And yet the Saudi energy ministry hours after the latest one was still promoting a major international energy conference set to begin in Riyadh on Sunday.

Until recently, the Houthis had been largely on the sidelines of the Iran war. Now the rebels are a way for Tehran to apply pressure on a key U.S. ally.

The Saudis and the Houthis began fighting in 2015 when the kingdom entered Yemen’s civil war on behalf of the internationally recognized government. Relative calm after a 2022 ceasefire ended in July when the Houthis resumed attacks, saying the Saudis fired on the Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was trying to land. That revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-run areas.

Now fighting has escalated, with the Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemeni government forces attempting to reverse recent Houthi gains along the Red Sea. Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships.

While the Houthis have said they are only targeting Saudi shipping as part of a blockade in retaliation for the one imposed on them, concerns about wider attacks persist. The Houthis previously attacked dozens of ships after the war in Gaza began, calling it solidarity with Palestinians. A U.S. bombing campaign sharply limited that.

Saudi Arabia has run low on interceptors, officials say

Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air defense support to the region, regional officials told the AP last month, with one noting that the U.S. has seen its own stock dwindle during the war with Iran.

Officials have said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive against the Houthis.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said its foreign minister and Omani counterpart spoke by phone about the importance of “supporting diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions” in the region. Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, has played a mediator role at times in the region.

Saudi flight disruptions are growing

The Houthis this week warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.

Before the latest attack, Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among airlines suspending flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, noting the Houthis’ ability to strike targets deeper inside the kingdom, including Riyadh, and a “greater focus on aviation infrastructure.”

The missile and drone attacks and interception efforts “create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft,” it said.

Two regional officials said Houthi attacks on the Riyadh airport on Thursday damaged three planes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media. The Saudi national carrier said one of its aircraft was damaged while it was on the ground, with no passengers on board.

Meanwhile, Saudi authorities warned the public this week that “filming, publishing or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability.”

周六，一枚导弹袭击了利雅得的哈立德国王国际机场，造成12人死亡，300多人受伤。沙特当局称，多名伤者伤势危重。沙特领导的联军则指责伊朗支持的也门胡塞武装发动了此次袭击。机场运营暂停，关闭时间延长至周日晚9点。美国总统特朗普表示，他正在考虑是否加入沙特对胡塞武装的打击行动。

死者包括四名沙特公民、两名孟加拉国国民，以及分别来自巴勒斯坦、美国、埃及、约旦、叙利亚和苏丹的各一人。

导弹击中了包含 3 号和 4 号航站楼的建筑群，这两个航站楼负责国内航班，而该机场没有军事设施。

沙特当局表示，伤者正在多家医院接受治疗，航班已改道飞往其他机场。

此次袭击发生在沙特阿拉伯领导的联军对胡塞武装发动攻势之后，并被描述为自伊朗战争开始以来海湾阿拉伯国家发生的最致命的袭击。

发布于2026年10月11日 上午7:57（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月11日下午4:27（韩国标准时间）

这张由美联社获取并核实的视频截图显示，10月9日，沙特阿拉伯利雅得哈立德国王国际机场发生火灾，浓浓黑烟和火焰熊熊燃烧。美联社-韩联社

开罗——沙特阿拉伯首都利雅得国际机场周日遭到袭击，造成12人死亡，300多人受伤，其中一些伤势严重。民航部门表示，此次袭击事件由邻国也门的胡塞武装发动，而胡塞武装得到了伊朗的支持。沙特领导的联军将袭击归咎于胡塞武装。

这是自伊朗战争爆发以来，海湾阿拉伯国家发生的最致命的袭击事件。伊朗战争的战线已经扩大，包括胡塞武装与沙特支持的也门政府军之间最近愈演愈烈的战斗。

一名地区官员表示，一枚导弹击中了哈立德国王国际机场的3号和4号航站楼（国内航班航站楼），该官员要求匿名，因为他没有被授权接受媒体采访。

沙特阿拉伯方面发表声明称，死者包括四名沙特公民、两名孟加拉国公民、一名巴勒斯坦人、一名美国公民、一名埃及人、一名约旦人、一名叙利亚人和一名苏丹人。声明还表示，伤者正在多家医院接受治疗。

袭击发生后，社交媒体上发布的视频经美联社分析显示，机场外停满了紧急车辆。

沙特民航局周六宣布暂停机场运营。据航班追踪平台Flightradar 24显示，机场关闭时间随后延长24小时至周日晚9点。

特朗普表示他会考虑加入打击叛军的行动。

此次袭击是过去一周机场遭受的多起袭击中的最新一起，预计将加大沙特阿拉伯对包括美国在内的盟友的压力，要求其向沙特提供军事支持。沙特似乎一直试图避免与胡塞武装全面开战。

周六下午袭击事件发生后不久，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，他正在评估美国是否应该加入沙特对反叛武装的打击行动。“我们可能会这样做。我们会考虑的，”他说。“我们刚刚得知了最近的袭击事件。所以我们会迅速做出决定。”

特朗普周六晚些时候表示，他计划与沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼通话，并称“沙特阿拉伯发生的事情是不可接受的”。当被问及美国是否会介入时，特朗普回答说：“我们会知道的。”

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥在社交媒体上发帖承认，一名美国公民在袭击中丧生，他谴责了此次袭击。

“这些令人发指的袭击事件公然漠视无辜平民的生命。必须立即停止这种行为，”他说。

沙特阿拉伯领导的联军指责胡塞武装发动了此次袭击，称其为“彻头彻尾的战争罪行”，并誓言将予以坚决回击。该机场没有军事设施。

叛军方面没有立即发表声明。此前，他们于周六指责沙特阿拉伯袭击了胡塞武装控制的也门首都萨那国际机场。

胡塞武装声称对本周早些时候发生在哈立德国王国际机场的袭击事件负责，该事件造成三名沙特人死亡，其中包括一名飞行员。自沙特领导的联军对胡塞武装发起大规模军事攻势以来，包括针对其他沙特机场、军事设施和石油基础设施在内的袭击事件激增。

周六，机场警力部署严密，所有入口均被封锁，机场周围灯光昏暗。据Flightradar24报道，航班已改道飞往其他机场。包括美国、英国、德国、澳大利亚和加拿大在内的多个国家已警告公民避开该机场。

周六，美国中央司令部表示，一架战斗机在阿曼湾使用精确制导武器击中并瘫痪了一艘商用货船，这是美国维持对伊朗港口海上封锁行动的一部分。这艘悬挂巴拿马国旗的“海洋莫利卡”号货船此前已离开伊朗港口，并且无视多次警告。中央司令部称，船上船员安然无恙。

据沙特阿拉伯民航局消息，10月10日，在沙特阿拉伯首都利雅得，一辆救护车停在哈立德国王国际机场外。此前，该机场遭到袭击，多人受伤，导致机场运营暂停。这张截图来自社交媒体视频。路透社-韩联社

对伊朗而言，这场冲突给美国的一个重要盟友带来了压力。

沙特阿拉伯是世界最大的石油出口国，该国遭受的袭击震动了市场和整个地区。然而，就在最近一次袭击发生数小时后，沙特能源部仍在宣传将于周日在利雅得开幕的一项重要的国际能源会议。

直到最近，胡塞武装在两伊战争中基本上处于边缘地位。如今，这些叛军成了德黑兰向美国重要盟友施压的一种手段。

沙特阿拉伯和胡塞武装的冲突始于2015年，当时沙特王国代表国际社会承认的也门政府介入也门内战。2022年达成的停火协议带来了相对平静，但7月份胡塞武装恢复袭击，称沙特炮击了萨那机场，当时一架伊朗飞机正试图降落。这再次激起了人们对沙特领导的封锁的愤怒，这场封锁使胡塞武装控制的地区基本与世隔绝。

如今战事升级，沙特领导的联军为也门政府军提供空中支援，试图扭转胡塞武装近期在红海沿岸取得的进展。这些进展使胡塞武装能够更好地监视这条重要通道上的航运，该通道是霍尔木兹海峡之外的另一条重要通道，伊朗一直在霍尔木兹海峡袭击船只。

尽管胡塞武装声称他们袭击沙特船只只是为了报复沙特对他们实施的封锁，但人们仍然担心会发生更大规模的袭击。加沙战争爆发后，胡塞武装曾袭击数十艘船只，并称此举是为了声援巴勒斯坦人。美国的空袭行动极大地限制了此类袭击。

沙特阿拉伯官员称，该国拦截器数量已接近耗尽。

沙特阿拉伯的导弹拦截器数量正在减少，并已请求法国、英国、巴基斯坦和埃及向该地区部署防空支持。地区官员上个月告诉美联社，其中一位官员指出，美国在与伊朗的战争期间，自身的防空储备也已减少。

官员们表示，美国的援助包括情报共享、目标识别和针对胡塞武装的最新攻势的规划。

沙特阿拉伯周六表示，其外交大臣与阿曼外交大臣通电话，讨论了“支持通过外交途径缓和地区紧张局势”的重要性。阿曼与伊朗隔霍尔木兹海峡相望，曾多次在该地区扮演调解人的角色。

沙特阿拉伯的航班中断情况日益严重。

本周，胡塞武装“最后一次”警告全球航空公司，在沙特阿拉伯领空运营可能带来的后果，他们将沙特阿拉伯领空描述为他们军事行动的战场。

在最近这次袭击之前，印度航空、迪拜航空、汉莎航空集团和巴基斯坦国际航空公司等航空公司都曾暂停往返利雅得和其他沙特机场的航班，暂停时间长短不一。

欧盟航空安全局扩大了对沙特阿拉伯空域的指导，指出胡塞武装有能力袭击沙特境内更深处的目标，包括利雅得，并且“更加关注航空基础设施”。

报告称，导弹和无人机袭击及拦截行动“增加了民用飞机被误认的风险”。

两名地区官员表示，胡塞武装周四对利雅得机场的袭击造成三架飞机受损。由于未获授权向媒体通报情况，这两名官员要求匿名。沙特国家航空公司称，其一架飞机在地面停放时受损，当时机上没有乘客。

与此同时，沙特当局本周警告公众，“拍摄、发布或分享与反制导弹和无人机及其落点有关的信息，将使您承担法律责任。”