Riyadh: shrapnel from Houthi missiles injures four and damages 15 homes

Saudi Arabia's civil defence announced on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, that shrapnel from two Houthi cruise missiles, fired by the Islamic Republic's allies in Yemen and intercepted over Riyadh, fell on residential neighbourhoods of the capital and injured four people: two women, a man and a child. The attack is part of the same wave of strikes that, according to an earlier DIAR report, targeted an Aramco office building in Dhahran.

According to the civil defence spokesman, the shrapnel caused limited damage to 15 homes, and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to treat the injured and secure the sites.

New explosions in Riyadh and flights halted

On Wednesday morning, loud explosions were again heard in Riyadh, and an air-threat alert on residents' mobile phones told them to take shelter. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh. Saudi officials lifted the air alert after about half an hour.

At the same time, several foreign airlines suspended their flights to Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, which was hit last Saturday in a deadly Houthi attack. The French embassy had also urged its citizens on Tuesday to stay away from airports targeted by attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Background

On Tuesday, 13 October, in response to coalition air strikes on Sanaa, the Houthis had threatened to target Aramco's headquarters in Dammam, King Khalid Airport in Riyadh and the Aramco refinery in Riyadh. That same night an Aramco office building in Dhahran was hit and, according to Saudi Arabia's energy ministry, a limited fire broke out, with no one killed or injured.

Shrapnel from missiles fired by the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, injured four people in Riyadh, including a child, and damaged 15 homes.