The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen vowed on Friday 9 October 2026 to respond firmly to attacks carried out by the Houthi group against civilians and civilian sites, a day after two attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing and injuring people and causing material damage.
The coalition’s official spokesman, Major General Turki al-Maliki, said in a post on X that “Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian sites will be met with a firm response”. Al-Maliki added that coalition forces had destroyed three missile launchers used by the Houthi group, and published a video which he said showed the strikes being carried out against the launchers. The coalition said their destruction was part of efforts to deal with sources threatening regional security.
Two attacks on King Khalid Airport kill and injure people
The coalition’s position came after the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that King Khalid International Airport had been subjected to two attacks on Thursday 8 October. The first targeted airport facilities, while the second targeted a Saudi Airlines aircraft that was on the ground without passengers.
The authority said the two attacks killed three Saudis and injured a number of citizens and residents of different nationalities. It said the injuries ranged from minor to serious and that those injured had been taken to hospital for medical care. The attacks also caused material damage. Saudia Group announced that the aircraft captain, Hamoud Ali al-Qathami, was among those killed, confirming that one of its aircraft had been damaged while on the ground without passengers.
The Civil Aviation Authority said emergency teams and the relevant authorities had begun dealing with the two attacks immediately after they occurred, in accordance with approved procedures and plans. It added that work had continued in coordination with security authorities to assess the damage and take the necessary measures to protect passengers and staff and ensure the safety of the civil aviation system.
Air traffic resumes after flight disruption
The authority confirmed the resumption of operations at King Khalid International Airport and the return of air traffic to normal after flights were disrupted and a large number cancelled amid the attacks and security developments. The Houthi group claimed responsibility for targeting King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile, saying the attack had damaged the airport.
In a subsequent statement, it also announced the launch of ballistic and cruise missiles towards the airports of Riyadh and Najran. In a related development, al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group: two towards Riyadh and a third towards Khamis Mushait.
Missiles intercepted and shrapnel falls in Riyadh
The Saudi Civil Defence said shrapnel had fallen in Riyadh as a result of the interception and destruction of one of the ballistic missiles, causing material damage to a nursery and a medical clinic complex. Before his latest statement, al-Maliki had said that attacks on civilians and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, including the targeting of King Khalid International and Abha International airports, would not go unanswered.
He said the joint forces had carried out a comprehensive operation in which they destroyed 82 military targets that he said belonged to the Houthis in the governorates of Saada, Hudaydah, al-Jawf and Ma'rib.
According to al-Maliki, the targets included sites linked to ballistic missiles, missile stores in mountainous areas of Saada governorate, command and control centres, communications systems, weapons and missile depots, as well as sites where members of the group had gathered.
