The Junior Daily · ages 9–11 · 2026-10-12
The Airport Attacks in Saudi Arabia Go On
Rebels from Yemen hit the main airport in Riyadh again. Saudi Arabia says it will hit back.
Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia, a large country in the Middle East. On Saturday, a missile hit its main airport. Officials said 12 people were killed and 309 were hurt.
The attackers are the Houthis, a rebel group from Yemen, the country just south of Saudi Arabia. The Houthis get help from Iran. On Sunday they said they had attacked the airport, and a second strike that evening hurt more people. The fighting grew after Yemen's government, helped by Saudi Arabia, began a push on October 4 to take back land the Houthis hold. A peace deal that had mostly held since 2022 has now fallen apart.
All flights at the airport have stopped, and schools in Riyadh are learning from home for a week. Saudi Arabia says it will hit back hard. President Trump says the United States may join in.
Why it matters
A war that was far from Saudi cities has now reached its capital. Airports are how people and goods travel, so when one closes, many other people are affected too.
THE RED SEA. Saudi Arabia and Yemen sit on the eastern shore of the Red Sea.