Videos circulating on social media claim to show closed gates and passengers being moved out of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after Yemen's Houthis said they had targeted it.
The footage is unverified, and Saudi authorities had not confirmed any evacuation or damage at the airport by the time of writing the report.
What The Clips Show
One widely shared clip, carrying a Shajab News watermark, shows an empty departures area with gates roped off. A second shows a departures board in which several flights appear marked as closed or delayed.
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Local sources | Following targeted Ansarallah strikes, witnesses reported more loud explosions near King Khalid International Airport in Riyad, leading to the suspension of incoming aircraft landings and the closure of several terminal gates. https://t.co/1VORHEtTIr
— Hexagone Intel (@osinthexagone) October 6, 2026
OSINT account Hexagone Intel, citing local sources, said incoming landings were suspended and several gates were closed.
Another account posted Arabic-captioned footage of people in a terminal, claiming passengers were fleeing. A separate post claimed a plane had been warned not to land.
Riyadh International Airport. Panic as Houthi ballistic missiles hit close to the airport in the last hour SAUDI ARABIA https://t.co/s206uzgn7H
— ???????????????????????????????????????? RUSSIA TERROR LATEST (@UkraineDiary) October 5, 2026
One post, from an account called X News, claimed the airport had been "reduced to rubble" by a Qat-600-type missile. Its footage is a blurred two-second clip.
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???? King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, central Saudi Arabia, was reduced to rubble after being targeted by a high-explosive Houthi missile, a Qat-600 type. #AlMukha_Taiz #Dhubab_Yemen https://t.co/bz0eDif2QK
— X News (@Xnews_l) October 5, 2026
Houthi Claims
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a pre-recorded statement that the group fired ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at King Khalid airport and an Aramco refinery in Rabigh.
He also named Abha airport and military facilities in Khamis Mushait. AFP journalists reported loud explosions over Riyadh on Monday evening.
The attacks came as a Saudi-led coalition joined a Yemeni government offensive against the Houthis, with the government saying its forces had retaken the Bab al-Mandab coastline through Mocha.
Warnings In Riyadh
The US Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on October 5, citing "the potential for aerial drone or missile attacks" and urging US citizens to follow Saudi Civil Defence guidance.
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Security Alert: U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia (October 5, 2026) Due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia and the potential for aerial drone or missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Mission strongly encourages all U.S. citizens to remain vigilant and follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense. Read more: https://t.co/LQZiBQ4PVA
— U.S. Embassy Riyadh (@USAinKSA) October 5, 2026
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry separately warned that "filming, publishing, or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability", which may limit the verified footage reaching the public.
تصوير أو نشر أو تداول معلومات ذات صلة بالتصدي للصواريخ والطائرات المسيرة ومواقع سقوطها يعرضك للمساءلة القانونية. #وزارة_الداخلية Filming, publishing, or sharing information related to countering missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability. #Ministry_of_Interior
— وزارة الداخلية ???????? (@MOISaudiArabia) October 5, 2026
Embassy Damage Predates Latest Attack
A post by US Senator Chris Murphy has also circulated alongside the airport videos. Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who visited Riyadh, said he saw damage to the US embassy and that an attack during the day "would have been a mass casualty event".
Today I saw in person the damage done to the U.S. embassy in Riyadh. If the attack had happened during the day, it would have been a mass casualty event. More evidence of how unprepared Trump was for this war and how unprotected he left thousands of Americans in this region. https://t.co/yi1yEBaGT3
— Chris Murphy ???? (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 5, 2026
The damage he described relates to the two Iranian drones that struck the compound in March, according to Saudi Defence Ministry accounts of that attack. It is not linked to Monday's Houthi claims, it said.
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