New video shows terrifying moment Saudi airport struck in deadly Houthi attack
By Laura Sharman, Tim Lister, Mohammed Tawfeeq
(CNN) — Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will remain closed until further notice following a series of deadly attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis, Saudi authorities said Monday, while a notice to air missions (NOTAM) indicated the airport would remain shut until at least October 17.
Newly released security camera footage shows the terrifying moment the airport was struck by a Houthi missile Saturday that killed at least 13 people and wounded hundreds in Saudi Arabia’s deadliest attack in more than a decade. The footage shows dozens of passengers waiting to board their flight when a blast suddenly causes part of the ceiling to collapse.
Some clasped their hands over their heads as they ran for safety, while dust filled the area and debris crashed to the floor, the footage obtained by Al Arabiya television news channel shows.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation authority said the airport would remain closed Monday, with several hundred flights cancelled, “to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety and operational readiness of the airport’s facilities.”
The decision follows another missile attack on the airport on Sunday, which left a Pakistani resident dead and wounded 11 others. The strike caused a fire in Terminal 4, according to the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in Yemen.
Saturday’s missile strike on the airport killed four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian and a Sudanese, and wounded 309 others, Saudi authorities said. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said Sunday that an Indian citizen wounded in the strike later died.
The Houthis also claimed to have targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Sunday. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation authority confirmed the airport had come under attack Sunday evening and said authorities were assessing damage.
The Houthis said the strikes were carried out in response to an intensified Saudi air campaign in Yemen.
In a statement, the Houthi-controlled armed forces said Saudi warplanes had launched 124 airstrikes over the previous 24 hours and threatened to continue targeting airports and other sites inside the kingdom.
Following Saturday’s attack, US President Donald Trump said he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, having previously resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention.
Houthi strikes on the King Khalid International Airport began last week. Six people were killed and dozens more wounded in attacks on the airport between Tuesday and Thursday, according to Saudi authorities.
One traveler at the airport during Saturday’s attack told Reuters news agency they saw something fly across the sky outside before part of the ceiling near a departure gate collapsed.
Another recalled hearing an explosion before seeing several people lying wounded on the ground.
An eyewitness video released by Reuters showed large boards and debris strewn across the terminal floor, with people moving through a dust-filled hall.
King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest, serves the capital, Riyadh, a city of about eight million people.
The US, UK, Spain and Canada are among countries warning their citizens against using the airport.
The UK government warned Sunday against all but essential travel to Jeddah and Dammam, as well as to all Saudi airports except for Medina. It suggested British citizens consider departing Saudi Arabia via land to neighboring countries.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Sunday told US airlines to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, citing safety threats and navigation system interference.
“Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including overflight, the arrival, and departure phases of flight,” the FAA said.
Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbors have condemned the attacks and some have called for unified action against the Houthis.
“Our security is indivisible,” said United Arab Emirates presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Monday. Targeting Saudi Arabia “undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states,” and there was a “pressing need to revive joint Gulf action” in security and defense, Gargash said on X, a “dimension that has witnessed grave neglect, which has emboldened others to overreach against us.”
The attacks have exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom’s defense capabilities as it wages an air campaign in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is fighting the Houthis on the ground.
With Iranian assistance, the Houthis have built up a large arsenal of missiles, including ballistic weapons, as well as a range of drones, capable of reaching all of the Kingdom.
A Houthi military statement Sunday reiterated a warning to all airlines and travelers against using Saudi airports and airspace, “as they are vulnerable to targeting… with the exception of Mecca and Medina airports.”
“Saudi Arabia will bear responsibility for any failed attempts to intercept” missiles, the Houthi statement said, and it would continue responding to “blockades with blockades, and escalation with escalation.”
‘We’ll make a decision’
Trump said Saturday he plans to speak with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the attack.
“They’re able to defend. The Saudis are good fighters. But I think the attack was a terrible thing,” Trump said when asked whether Saudi Arabia could defend itself against the Houthis.
Asked outside the White House whether Washington planned to join Saudi strikes on the Houthis, a militia aligned with US foe Iran, Trump told reporters: “We may. We’re going to look at it.”
“We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Last month, Trump rejected two appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for US strikes against the Houthis, CNN reported at the time.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a US citizen was among those killed and condemned the attacks as showing “a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life,” in a post on X.
Wounded people, including some in critical condition, were rushed to hospitals Saturday by ambulance and helicopter, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the latest strike and said “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law,” also writing on X.
Saudi miscalculations
The civil war in Yemen flared up once again this summer and significantly intensified last month, after years of relative calm.
In retaliation for a Saudi blockade on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the Houthis announced in July they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, and began a campaign of missile attacks against Saudi infrastructure, including oil refineries.
Last month, they conducted a lightning offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing the port of Mocha and closing in on Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
That led the Saudi-backed Yemeni government based in Aden to launch a major offensive, but it has struggled to retake much ground.
Saudi Arabia has for 11 years tried to contain the conflict on its southern border through both military force and diplomacy – first waging war with the Houthis, then pursuing peace talks with them and restoring diplomatic talks with their backer, Tehran.
Despite the efforts, a series of miscalculations has left Riyadh exposed to further conflict in Yemen, experts say.
Saudi Arabia ended its longstanding partnership with the UAE late last year over its backing of a rival force in Yemen, misjudged Trump’s willingness to back it if it needed support, and struggled to organize disintegrated armed factions fighting the Houthis.
The escalation threatens Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions to become an international destination for business and tourism.
On Sunday, the Saudi energy ministry said the World Petroleum Congress began as scheduled in Riyadh, but it’s unclear how many delegates are attending.
Several major oil companies – including Shell and BP – were not represented at the conference.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Michael Williams and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.