The Current Affairs Digest · ages 15+ · 2026-10-14
Riyadh Airport Stays Shut as Washington Weighs Joining the Houthi Fight
Riyadh's airport stays shut after a Saturday strike that Saudi Arabia says killed at least 12 people.
Yemen's internationally recognised government is fighting the Houthis, an Iran-backed movement, for control of the country. Saudi Arabia backs the government with an air campaign that has reportedly included hundreds of strikes on Houthi-held areas, including the capital Sanaa. The Houthis have declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations, and say any aircraft there, except over Mecca and Medina, is a target.
On Saturday 10 October the Houthis struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said at least 12 people were killed and at least 309 wounded. It was the third Houthi attack on the airport that week. The Saudi-led coalition called it a war crime. The Houthi media office said the group had shut down the airport.
The strikes have continued. Saudi Arabia reported a new barrage of drones and missiles on 12 October, and Riyadh airport remains shut. Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent attacks days before the weekend strikes and has not explained why, Reuters reported. Iran says it is ready to help facilitate dialogue between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led side is pushing to drive the Houthis from Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The UN says more than 217,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated on Yemen's west coast. Yemen's Saudi-backed government says Houthi strikes over 24 hours killed at least five civilians and wounded over a dozen, including in an attack on a hospital in Taiz.
The war may now widen. President Trump said he is considering joining the Saudi-led offensive. A Houthi leader warned that the United States would face a swift and painful response if it does.
Why it matters
Attacks on airports hit civilians from many countries, and a US entry would turn a regional war into a wider one around a major sea route.
THE RED SEA. Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait lie on the sea's southern end.