Riyadh airport: 17 killed in 20 Houthi attacks as Saudi Arabia blames the Islamic Republic

Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, told a press conference in Riyadh on Thursday, 15 October 2026, that the Houthis, backed by the Islamic Republic, have attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh 20 times since 1 October. He said these attacks have killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 330.

Al-Maliki said the escalation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia is taking place with the Islamic Republic's encouragement and called on the Houthis to immediately stop attacking civilians and civilian facilities. He added that since the start of the conflict the group has fired 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones at Saudi Arabia and tried to strike dozens of airports, oil facilities and ports. The coalition spokesman also condemned attempts to target Mecca and Medina and said the Houthis obtained advanced technology "with regional help".

Riyadh directly accuses the Islamic Republic

A Saudi foreign ministry official also told a virtual press conference that the Islamic Republic continues to arm, train and support the Houthis, which he said violates UN Security Council resolutions. He added that Riyadh still has direct contact with Tehran, but the Islamic Republic does not appear ready to make the concessions needed to resolve the crisis, and that the Houthis refused a request for a meeting in Muscat at the start of this round of escalation.

On the same day, Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, stressed the need to strengthen relations in a letter to the Houthis' deputy foreign minister. US President Donald Trump had earlier said the Houthis had probably resumed their attacks on the Islamic Republic's orders. This round of attacks had earlier led to the interception of a cruise missile over Medina and Riyadh residents being wounded by missile debris.

EU–Gulf summit postponed

The Gulf Cooperation Council announced the same day that the summit of leaders of the European Union and the council's six member states, planned for 24 October in Riyadh, had been postponed because of continued Houthi threats and the prolonged closure of King Khalid airport. The EU confirmed the postponement and said a new date would be announced at the appropriate time. The two sides' first leaders' summit was held in Brussels in October 2024.

The coalition also said it had destroyed 127 Houthi weapons depots and a number of missile launch platforms in Sanaa, Saada and Amran. On Thursday the Houthis repeated their threat to keep attacking Saudi airports and oil facilities.

Twenty attacks in two weeks on a civilian airport have also driven the Europe–Gulf summit away from Riyadh.