Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have claimed missile and drone attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, an Aramco refinery and military sites across Saudi Arabia, as loud explosions were heard over the Saudi capital late on Monday.
Flight-tracking data and unverified local accounts point to disruption to air traffic, but Saudi authorities have not confirmed any damage in the reports reviewed.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attacks used drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
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HOUTHIS CLAIM WIDESPREAD STRIKES across SAUDI ARABIA AIR TRAFFIC DISRUPTED at RIYADH AIRPORT — ARAMCO REFINERY among sites hit BASES and AIRPORTS in OTHER REGIONS also targeted — WARN ALL INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES using SAUDI AIRSPACE https://t.co/GnSSU2DarW
— RT (@RT_com) October 5, 2026
He said they "targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh", and that the Aramco refinery in Rabigh was also hit, along with military sites and smaller airports in the kingdom's south, according to reports carried by Times of Israel and AFP.
AFP journalists reported hearing a series of loud explosions over Riyadh on Monday evening, following earlier blasts heard by reporters and residents.
More flights disruptions over Riyadh and Ash Sharqiyah Provinces, Saudi Arabia. Unconfirmed reports about more explosions without prior alerts or sirens in Riyadh City. https://t.co/FpJs7fL9iB
— Hexagone Intel (@osinthexagone) October 5, 2026
The Houthi had also warned international airlines using Saudi airspace.
Open-source intelligence account Hexagone Intel, citing flight-tracking data, reported repeated disruptions to flights over Riyadh and Ash Sharqiyah provinces. Screenshots it posted showed aircraft bound for Riyadh from Istanbul, Jeddah, Beirut, Lucknow and Dammam on altered or circling paths.
Loud explosions heard over the last hour in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia per AFP.
— Hexagone Intel (@osinthexagone) October 5, 2026
The account also cited local sources saying incoming landings at King Khalid airport were suspended and several terminal gates closed. It described reports of explosions without prior alerts or sirens as unconfirmed. Neither Saudi aviation authorities nor the airport has publicly confirmed the suspension.
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
The attacks come amid a sharp escalation in Yemen. The country's government announced on Sunday that it aimed to retake all Houthi-held territory, home to most of Yemen's population.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it had joined the offensive, with 100 warplanes flying dawn strikes to provide air cover for ground forces.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki said on X that naval forces had destroyed weapons depots and facilities storing booby-trapped boats and naval mines, and had thwarted a planned attack on waterways in the southern Red Sea.
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A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned by the sharp escalation in fighting" and condemned the continued Houthi cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The strikes also carry an energy-market dimension. A Saudi energy source told AFP that an attack on Sunday had again halted pumping through the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, a key export route for the kingdom since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the wider Middle East war.
Crude prices were already elevated before the Houthis began targeting the world's largest oil exporter.
Pakistan and Turkey have pledged military support to Saudi Arabia, though the nature of their role has not been specified.
ALSO READ: Yemeni Government Forces Attack Houthi Positions Near Bab el-Mandeb
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