Fresh attack extends Riyadh airport closure
Saudi authorities have not said when King Khalid International Airport will reopen as an investigation into air defences begins.
Follow-up to: Saudi Arabia vows serious response after airport attacks Monday, 12 October 2026, 13:11
Saudi Arabia has extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport after a projectile struck a passenger terminal on Sunday, while authorities began examining how the attack reached the airport. The airport authority has not given a new reopening time, leaving passengers and carriers without a confirmed timetable.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation did not say on Monday when King Khalid airport would resume operations, according to the Associated Press. The authority said the airport had been targeted again on Sunday, with damage assessments and safety inspections under way.
Saudi authorities said one person, described by the AP as a Pakistani national, was killed and 11 people were injured in the latest attack. The projectile struck the domestic terminal complex a day after an earlier missile attack on the airport.
The previous attack killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi authorities cited by the AP. India’s embassy separately said one of its citizens died from injuries sustained in that attack, meaning casualty totals have changed as officials have identified victims.
The Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group in Yemen, were responsible for the attacks. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strikes, but the competing sides’ accounts have not been independently verified.
The fresh strike has also raised questions about the kingdom’s air-defence system. The AP reported that Saudi authorities opened an investigation into an apparent failure to intercept the missiles, citing two regional officials who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to brief the media.
The attacks are part of a wider escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have launched missiles and drones towards Saudi targets while Saudi-led forces have carried out strikes in Yemen. The latest AP report said Saudi forces had responded to attacks, but gave no operational details.
For travellers, the immediate consequence is continued disruption at Riyadh’s main international airport. Until the safety inspection is completed and authorities publish a reopening plan, airlines and passengers cannot assume that scheduled services will resume on Monday or Tuesday.
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The central developments are supported by AP and Saudi civil-aviation statements published within the required period. The article distinguishes confirmed official statements from unverified claims about responsibility and the air-defence failure.
- confirmed King Khalid International Airport’s closure was extended and no reopening time was announced on Monday. — Reported by AP from the General Authority of Civil Aviation. source
- confirmed One person was killed and 11 were injured in the latest attack. — Reported by AP, citing Saudi authorities. source
- confirmed The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks. — Reported by AP; the claim itself is verified as a public statement, not as proof of responsibility. source
- confirmed Saudi authorities opened an investigation into an air-defence failure. — AP reported the investigation, while the underlying failure remains unproven and is presented as an investigation subject. source
Editor's note
The airport closure, the latest casualty figures and the investigation were reported by AP and Saudi state media. Responsibility for the attacks is attributed to the Houthis by the Saudi-led coalition and claimed by the Houthis; that attribution has not been independently verified, and casualty totals have changed as further deaths were reported.Sources
The story so far
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 13:11 Saudi Arabia vows serious response after airport attacks
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 14:13 Fresh attack extends Riyadh airport closure (this article)
More on this in other media
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