Houthis hit Riyadh airport for second straight day — SkimNews
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- Houthis triggered multiple explosions across Riyadh on October 8, 2026, including a large blast at King Khalid International Airport, one day after an earlier strike on the same airport killed one person and wounded others.
- Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the new airport attack, saying a ballistic missile caused damage but providing no evidence; Saudi Arabia had no immediate comment on the claim.
- Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh and one fired toward Khamis Mushait near the Yemen border.
- Saudi civil defence reported that shrapnel from an intercepted missile damaged a kindergarten and medical complex in Riyadh, without specifying casualties.
- The Houthis warned global airlines "for the last time" about consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they labeled a theatre for military operations.
- Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport urged passengers to contact airlines directly before traveling, hours after the blasts forced flight disruptions.
Why it matters: A second consecutive day of strikes on Riyadh's main airport — after one person was already killed the prior day — shows the Houthis openly escalating despite active Saudi interception efforts. The kindergarten and medical complex damage from falling debris illustrates the civilian cost of interception failures even when missiles are stopped, and the rebels' direct naming of global airlines raises the stakes for international carriers still routing through Saudi airspace.
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