Houthis Claim Riyadh Airport Strike and Warn Airlines Off Saudi Airports as Injured Indian Man Dies

Since the Oct. 10 missile strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that Saudi authorities say killed 12 and injured 309, the picture has sharpened on three fronts: who owns the attack, who else is among the casualties, and whether the airports are safe to use at all.

Houthis claim the strike and widen the threat

According to Reuters, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility in a televised speech for Saturday's attack. Earlier reports, including CBS News, said the group had not yet claimed it. The Saudi-led coalition had already blamed the Houthis.

The group also renewed its warning to airlines, travelers and airport workers. In a post on X, the Houthis told them to stay away from Saudi airports and airspace, which the group said "have become a theatre of operations for our forces." The only exceptions it named were the airports in Mecca and Medina.

"We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions," the group wrote.

Saudi Arabia extended the closure of King Khalid on Sunday. It is the country's main international airport. Saudi civil aviation authorities had suspended operations after the strike while they assessed damage and safety.

An Indian national dies of his injuries

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed Sunday that an Indian national hurt in the attack had died. "We convey our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased," the embassy said, adding that it was in touch with the family and would support early repatriation of the remains.

India Today reported that the man's two children were also injured. The embassy has said 11 Indians were among the wounded.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation's published breakdown of the 12 dead lists four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Sudan and Palestine. No Indian is on that list.

India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned the "dastardly attack" and the repeated strikes on the airport. "The repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately," the ministry said. It also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia's sovereignty. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the embassy is "doing everything necessary."

The embassy told Indians in the kingdom to stay alert, stay indoors when necessary and follow instructions from local authorities. It also asked them not to circulate videos or news of the events. Its Riyadh office and the Jeddah consulate are operating normally.

Gulf News lists six Pakistani nationals among the injured. It also lists a 28-year-old Egyptian flight attendant among the dead.

What the coalition and Washington have said

Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, called the strike "a full-fledged war crime according to the Customary International Humanitarian Law." The coalition has vowed a decisive response. Al-Maliki said in an Oct. 9 statement that coalition operations had destroyed 136 military targets as part of an effort to "dismantle and destroy the ballistic missile network" of the Houthis.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law and "must cease immediately." Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, called the strike a "dangerous escalation."

The attack was the third on the Riyadh airport in a week. The Houthis claimed the earlier ones, which killed three Saudis including a pilot. It is the deadliest attack on any Gulf Arab country since the Iran war began in February, according to CBS News and the Epoch Times.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the strike and confirmed an American was among the dead. "We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people," he wrote.

Asked Saturday whether the U.S. would join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, President Trump said: "We may. We're going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. So we'll make a decision. We move very quickly." He later said he planned to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and called the attack "not acceptable."

The Houthis frame their campaign as a response to Saudi aggression. They accused Riyadh of striking Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held capital on Saturday. The Houthi-run foreign ministry has also warned that "worse is yet to come" unless Saudi Arabia stops its aggression and interference in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has backed a Yemeni government counteroffensive after the Houthis seized strategic Red Sea coastline last month.

The wider Iran war

The Houthi front is one piece of a larger conflict. Trump said this week that the U.S. would not launch another attack on Iran before the midterms. He also said the Navy's blockade means "nobody gets through" the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. Naval Institute, citing the International Maritime Organization and the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, counts 11 ships struck in the Strait of Hormuz or off Oman so far in October. Most were crude oil tankers. The highest weekly total, 12 attacks, came Sept. 28 through Oct. 6.

Bloomberg reported Friday, citing officials familiar with the matter, that Iran still has factories and the capability to build missiles and drones despite repeated U.S. and Israeli bombing.

Trump also said after a Friday call that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to eventually release millions of tons of diesel onto the global market, starting with 300,000 tons "immediately." The Kremlin's readout said Russia confirmed its willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the U.S. and global markets.

What comes next is open. Trump has not said whether the U.S. will join Saudi strikes, and the Houthis have told airlines that Saudi airspace, outside Mecca and Medina, is a theatre of operations for their forces.