SAUDI Arabia’s main airport was targeted for a second consecutive day on Oct 11, while a projectile struck the tarmac at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, escalating security concerns after a deadly attack in the capital killed at least 12 people a day earlier.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said one person, a Pakistani resident, was killed and 11 others injured in the Oct 11 attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
The attack also caused material damage that authorities were assessing, it said.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels swiftly claimed responsibility for the attacks, describing them as retaliation for what they called “Saudi aggression”.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said air defences had intercepted a missile near the same location in Riyadh.
The latest incident followed an Oct 10 strike on King Khalid International Airport that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, marking the deadliest single incident in Saudi Arabia since the Iran war began in late February.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for an attack near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Saudi aviation authorities confirmed the incident late on Oct 11, saying “damage assessments and safety inspections of airport facilities are under way”.
An eyewitness aboard an aircraft taxiing at Dammam airport told Reuters that at about 8.30pm local time on Oct 11, a projectile struck the tarmac beside several parked aircraft, triggering a fire.
The aircraft returned to the gate, and passengers disembarked after being told to leave, the witness said.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 recorded several delays and cancellations involving arrivals and departures at Dammam airport, the kingdom’s third-largest.
In a televised address on Oct 11, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree also said the group had struck two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco.
The Saudi government’s media office and Aramco did not respond to requests for comment.
The attacks have disrupted travel and business activities in Riyadh, with the Oct 10 blast bringing airport operations close to a standstill.
The capital’s financial hub also shifted to remote working until further notice, while executives from BP Plc and Shell Plc withdrew from a major energy event scheduled in the city this week.
Britain on Oct 11 advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Jeddah and Dammam, as well as to all Saudi airports except Medina. It also suggested that British nationals consider leaving Saudi Arabia by land through neighbouring countries.
Despite the security concerns, Saudi authorities have indicated that the 25th World Petroleum Congress and associated events, scheduled from Oct 11 to 15, would proceed.
Riyadh is also due to host the Future Investment Initiative (FII), the kingdom’s flagship investor gathering, later this month. Both events are expected to attract prominent industry figures and international investors, including Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon and BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink.
FII organisers said on Oct 11 they were preparing to “welcome thousands of delegates to Riyadh” for the event beginning on Oct 26.
“Comprehensive security measures will be in place at Riyadh’s airports, our conference venues and official hotels, with coordinated arrangements for participants’ transportation and movements,” the group’s chief executive, Maha Al Saud, said in a statement.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and have fought a Saudi-led coalition for much of the period since.
The Oct 11 attacks came less than a week after Saudi-backed forces in Yemen launched an operation to retake Houthi-held areas and “eliminate” the group.
The militants, who have repeatedly claimed attacks on Saudi oil facilities, recently seized additional territory in Yemen and strengthened their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic global shipping chokepoint.
The Saudi-led coalition condemned the Oct 11 airport attack as “a full-fledged war crime”, describing it as a “cowardly terrorist attack”.
Authorities said the victims of the Oct 10 Riyadh airport strike included four Saudis, one Palestinian, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan. - October 12, 2026