12 killed and more than 300 injured in strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport

Saudi civil aviation officials confirmed 12 deaths and over 300 injuries after a Saturday strike on Riyadh’s main airport.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:08:22 GMT

Saudi civil aviation authorities said a strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday killed 12 people and injured more than 300, with several victims in critical condition.

What happened

The attack struck the airport in the afternoon, causing an explosion that killed four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, according to the civil aviation authority. Hospitals across the capital received the injured, and officials reported that the last commercial landing before the shutdown was at 14:05 local time and the last departure at 13:39.

What the reports add

Fortune noted that the strike was the deadliest in any Gulf Arab country since the start of the Iran‑backed conflict in Yemen, and that it followed a series of attacks on the same airport earlier in the week that killed four people. The Independent reported that the strike occurred without any warning from Saudi Arabia’s threat‑warning system and that a previous attack that week had severely damaged a Saudia aircraft on the tarmac. CBS News echoed the casualty figures but provided no additional detail beyond the official statement.

What was said

Fortune quoted President Donald Trump as saying, “We may. We’re going to look at it,” when asked whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. The Independent cited unnamed officials who said the Saudi‑led coalition would retaliate, while CBS News did not include any quoted remarks.

How it came about

Earlier this week, Riyadh’s airport had already been targeted by Houthi‑claimed missile strikes that killed three Saudi citizens and damaged a Saudia aircraft, prompting a temporary shutdown that Felo reported on 2026‑10‑09 (Saudi Arabia reopens Riyadh airport after Houthi missile strikes kill three). The latest strike follows those earlier attacks and comes as the Iran‑backed Houthi rebels have intensified their campaign against Saudi‑backed forces in Yemen, a conflict that began in 2015 and has recently expanded.

Key facts

12 people were killed in the strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (fortune.com)
More than 300 people were injured, with 309 reported by the Independent (independent.co.uk)
Victims included four Saudis and eight foreign nationals (fortune.com)
The attack occurred in the afternoon on Saturday, prompting a temporary shutdown of the airport (fortune.com)