Iran-backed Houthi forces carried out a series of attacks targeting airports in Saudi Arabia through Sunday, reportedly killing at least 14 people—including one American—and injuring more than 300, according to reports.
The strikes intensified fears that the conflict could expand across the Middle East. Regional analysts warned of “cross-domain escalation” as tensions rose following Washington’s actions against Iran’s aviation sector in September.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for earlier strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. U.S. officials also attributed Saturday’s attack to the Iran-backed group, saying it killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid International Airport after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said a separate attack Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 people. An airport in Dammam, located in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, was also reportedly targeted by the Houthis.
“Cross-domain escalation by Iran and its proxies will continue to be a primary strategy,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told News Outlet on Sunday.
“The emphasis on aviation targets connects directly to the closing of Iran’s aviation sector and sanctions imposed on its commercial airlines under the U.S. maximum pressure campaign,” he said.
Smoke was reported near King Khalid International Airport, seen above, as regional tensions and Houthi attacks heightened security concerns in Saudi Arabia. (AFP via Getty Images)
The Houthis issued fresh warnings Sunday, calling on airlines, airport employees and travelers to stay away from Saudi airports. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, vowed to respond to the deadly attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Saturday’s strike, confirmed that an American was among the fatalities and demanded an immediate halt to the violence.
President Donald Trump did not rule out U.S. participation in Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis. “We may. We’re gonna look at it. We move very quickly,” Trump said.
The latest escalation came nearly three weeks after a senior Iranian official threatened to disrupt the operations of airports in neighboring countries if they helped the United States restrict Iranian flights.
Mohsen Rezaei was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general and member of the Expediency Discernment Council, as well as the secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination and the Iranian government’s Economic Committee, attends a ceremony at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s shrine in southern Tehran, Iran, on June 4, 2026. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned on Sept. 23 that Iran would stop airports in neighboring countries from operating if those nations supported Washington’s efforts to limit Iranian flights, Reuters reported.
“This rapid targeting reflects earlier threats made by Iranian officials, including a veiled threat from the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warning that U.S. sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector would lead to retaliatory threats against neighboring aviation infrastructure,” Taleblu said.
Iran has provided longstanding support to the Houthis, although Tehran’s specific role in the latest airport attacks has not been independently confirmed.
The attacks have also revived scrutiny of allegations that Russia has supplied the Houthis with intelligence and technical assistance.
Yemen’s Houthi armed forces patrol as Yemeni prisoners loyal to the Houthis arrive in the capital of Sanaa on Sept. 12, 2026, after being released on the west coast where they had been held by Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces. (AFP via Getty Images)
During a Sept. 1 House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing, lawmakers questioned experts about claims that Russia has been providing intelligence and technical support to the Houthis.
“Beyond offering diplomatic cover, there are persistent reports of Russian satellite collaboration, advisory support, and intelligence targeting assistance, as well as unproven allegations regarding select anti-ship systems.”
Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
But he also linked the latest attacks to a broader military escalation as the Houthis expand their territorial control in Yemen.
“This surge did not occur in a vacuum,” Taleblu said. “Since April, the Houthis have made territorial gains and pushed back against Saudi forces despite a period of diplomatic lull.”
“Airport attacks allow Iran and its regional proxies to inflict pain on Arab states, Israel, and remaining U.S. forces,” Taleblu said.
