Archive image: domestic departures area at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in August 2019. The photograph does not show the current attacks. Credit: Kskhh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Image source.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit by another attack on Sunday, October 11, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed. The authority said people were injured and teams were assessing damage and the safety of facilities, without releasing a casualty count for this new incident.
The attack came a day after a strike left hundreds injured at the same airport. Saturday’s death toll reached 13 after India’s embassy reported on Sunday that an Indian citizen injured in that attack had died, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
The casualty figures concern different attacks
In its initial report on Saturday’s attack, GACA had recorded 12 deaths and 309 injuries, with some people in critical condition. The death announced by India’s diplomatic mission came after that tally.
The 309 injuries belong to Saturday’s toll. That figure should not be used to quantify Sunday’s new attack, for which the number of people affected had not yet been released in the statement consulted.
Terminal struck and operations interrupted
The Saudi-led coalition said a projectile hit Terminal 4 and caused a fire, according to Reuters. The Associated Press also reported an attack on the domestic terminal complex.
The airport remained closed on Sunday in updates from both agencies. GACA confirmed assessments of the facilities and safety inspections. The official statement did not announce a time for operations to resume.
Responsibility and information still being assessed
The Houthis, an Iran-backed group from Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to the Associated Press. Those claims are attributed to the group; Saudi authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage and the full casualty count from the new incident.
Sunday’s developments are the new attack, the continued interruption of operations and the updated death toll from the earlier strike. The figures should be tracked separately to avoid incorrectly combining casualties from different incidents.
Sources consulted
- GACA, via official agency SPA — new attack and inspections, October 11, 2026
- Associated Press — new attack and casualty update, October 11, 2026
- Reuters — situation at Riyadh airport, October 11, 2026
- Reuters — Indian citizen’s death confirmed by embassy, October 11, 2026
- Saudi Gazette — GACA’s initial casualty report, October 11, 2026
