Saudi Coalition Says It Intercepted Houthi Missile Aimed at Riyadh Airport and Struck Launchers; Houthis Claim Pipeline Attacks

Since the Houthis hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport this month, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300, the group has kept firing. On Monday, Oct. 26, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched a ballistic missile at the airport. The attack came hours after flights resumed there.

The Saudi-led coalition said the missile never landed. Spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defenses "intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile" fired toward Riyadh. Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense Directorate had earlier issued a danger alert for the capital.

Coalition hits back in Yemen

Al-Maliki said coalition forces then struck Houthi missile infrastructure. In a post on X he said the operation destroyed four ballistic missile launchers, a missile depot and tunnels the Houthis use. An earlier coalition statement had cited two launchers destroyed in Sanaa.

"We continue the process of dismantling the ballistic missile network of the terrorist Houthi militia," al-Maliki wrote.

The Houthis control a large part of Yemen, including Sanaa. The strikes came a day after explosions shook Riyadh on Sunday, Oct. 25, and authorities texted residents a warning about a "hostile aerial threat." The Houthis had said they launched an attack on the airport after the kingdom announced flights had resumed.

Pipeline claim

Saree also said Houthi drones hit crude oil pumping stations along the East-West Pipeline. That claim rests on the Houthis' own statement.

The pipeline is operated by Saudi Aramco and runs about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from the Abqaiq area in the east to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. It gives the kingdom an overland route to export oil without using the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran claims to control.

Saree added that Houthi forces hit Saudi troop concentrations and weapons depots in Yemen's Aden and Lahj governorates, causing what he called "dozens of casualties." No independent figure for those casualties has been given.

Houthi position on the airport

The Houthis say civilian flights at Riyadh are fair game. Saree has called the airport "unsafe" and a "military target," and urged airlines and travelers to avoid it. "The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport," he said.

Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government it backs have been under sustained Houthi attack in recent weeks. A years-long truce broke down this summer, and the fighting has become a second front in the wider U.S.-Iran war that began in February.

The cost to the kingdom

The closure of Riyadh's main airport forced Saudi Arabia to postpone its flagship investment conference until 2027. One report put the share of scheduled flights grounded at the airport at 86%. The Dakar Rally has also left the kingdom.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed 12 deaths and 309 injuries in the airport's deadliest strike. The dead included one American. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack and said, "We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people." Asked whether the U.S. would join Saudi-led strikes on the Houthis, President Trump said, "We may. We're going to look at it." He has announced no decision.

On a prediction market, the odds of a formal Saudi airspace closure by Jan. 1, 2027 have risen to 20.5% YES. That is a trader estimate, not an official signal. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation has announced no such closure.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as operations resumed at the airport. His office said he "responded favourably to the kingdom's request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia." Greece has a Patriot battery deployed at Yanbu, the Red Sea oil export hub at the western end of the East-West Pipeline.

Tehran talks

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran will host a security summit with senior Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials, calling it "a prelude to establishing indigenous security within the region."

Saudi deputy minister Rayed Krimly said Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman will lead the Saudi delegation. Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will also attend. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, will chair.

The summit has no announced date beyond Baqaei's remarks. Whether Riyadh's presence in Tehran changes Iran's backing of the Houthis, or slows the missile fire at Riyadh, is not answered by anything said so far.