Developing reports indicate a missile strike today (Saturday, 10 October 2026) on a passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, causing multiple injuries, panic, and evacuations, but “mass-casualty” claims and details like “lots of blood” are not yet confirmed by authorities.
According to the Associated Press (citing two regional officials), a missile struck a passenger terminal, many people were wounded, the airport was evacuated, and flights were diverted or canceled. Flightradar24 data showed the last commercial landing around 14:05 local time, with inbound flights diverting (notably toward Jeddah). Kuwait Airways and others canceled services, and Canada’s embassy advised avoiding the airport amid “ongoing military activity.”
The Guardian and Straits Times, citing witnesses and a hospital source, report:
- An explosion near the domestic terminal (gates around 401/403).
- People running and visible injuries.
- At least five people in intensive care and “dozens” more injured (some from shattered glass).
- Evacuations underway.
A diplomatic source attributed the strike to the Houthis. Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed this specific incident or provided casualty figures at the time of the latest reports. Some social media and secondary reports reference Terminal 3, ambulances, and a helicopter, along with claims of a direct hit cited from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, but official Saudi confirmation remains pending.
This follows earlier Houthi attacks this week (claimed by the group) that Saudi authorities confirmed killed three Saudi nationals on Thursday (8 October), including Saudia pilot Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, and damaged a Saudia aircraft on the ground. Additional casualties occurred at Riyadh and Abha airports earlier in the week. Air traffic had resumed after those incidents before today’s reports.
The context is an escalation in the Yemen conflict: Saudi-backed forces have launched an offensive against the Iran-aligned Houthis, who have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities, and airspace in response (excluding the holy sites of Mecca and Medina in their warnings).
