Trending
Prev Story
Next Story

Two killed in attack on airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, authorities say

BBC News •
October 22, 2026 • 09:14 AM
1
1 reads 0 reactions

It is the latest in a series of attacks by the Houthi movement which have targeted airports and other sites in the kingdom.

Two killed in attack on airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, authorities say

Two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack on an airport in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening, the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) says.

Those killed at King Fahd International Airport were a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, while the injured were Saudi, Indian, Yemeni, Bangladeshi and Nepalese nationals.

The GACA did not say what type of attack occurred, but Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has repeatedly targeted the kingdom's airports with drones and missiles.

On Wednesday morning, two people were killed by debris from a drone that was intercepted over Eastern Province, where Dammam is located, the Saudi energy ministry said.

The ministry said the drone was intercepted as it attempted to target a processing facility owned by Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco in the Shaybeh oil field, where a contractor's vehicle was set ablaze.

It identified the dead as residents from the Philippines and Nepal.

Another four drones were also intercepted on Wednesday night, according to the Saudi-led coalition that is supporting the Yemeni government in its war against the Houthis.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, but they have previously said they are attacking Saudi airports, energy facilities and military bases in retaliation for deadly Saudi air strikes on the territory they control in western Yemen.

At least 21 people have been killed in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports since the start of October, according to Saudi authorities.

One missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on 10 October killed 13 people and injured 308 others – the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

The Houthis' military spokesman said on Wednesday that they had targeted military equipment at an airport in the southern Yemeni city of al-Mukalla, which it said had been transported by Saudi Arabia for use by pro-government forces.

Meanwhile, Houthi-run media reported that at least six people had been killed and 11 injured in air and artillery strikes over the previous 24 hours.

According to the Houthi-run health ministry, 155 civilians have been killed since Yemen's devastating civil war flared up three months ago.

The government's health ministry has said at least 1,574 people have been killed in the conflict over the same period.

The UN says more than 256,000 people have also been displaced.

The war began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa. The conflict escalated the next year, after the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened in an attempt to restore the government's rule.

A four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

The Houthis said they were retaliating for what they call a Saudi blockade of their territory, as well as an air strike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.

The conflict escalated in September after the Houthis seized part of Yemen's south-western Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint for global shipping. Their advance contributed to a rise in oil prices following six months of war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Earlier this month, pro-government forces said they had regained control of territory overlooking Bab al-Mandab after launching a counter-offensive with Saudi air support.

However, fierce fighting is continuing there, as well as around the besieged government-controlled city of Taiz, and to the north in Marib, al-Jawf, Dhale and Shabwa provinces.

Prev Swipe Story Next

Same Story from Other Publications

Compare how 5 other independent news outlets reported on this story.

5 Publications
Al Jazeera English
3d ago
Saudi Arabia downs missiles fired at Riyadh after Houthi attack on pipeline

Saudi Arabia downs missiles fired at Riyadh after Houthi attack on pipeline

Saudi forces intercept two missiles fired towards Riyadh, hours after reporting damage to key East-West pipeline.

#saudi-arabia #houthi #saudi
Compare →
The Guardian
2d ago
Woman in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 100 lashes for giving birth outside marriage

Woman in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 100 lashes for giving birth outside marriage

Rights groups condemn reported punishment of Kenyan migrant worker as an ‘act of violence’

#saudi-arabia #saudi #arabia
Compare →
CNBC World
4d ago
Lucid misses Wall Street’s earnings expectations, expands loan from Saudi Arabia fund

Lucid misses Wall Street’s earnings expectations, expands loan from Saudi Arabia fund

The quarterly results are the first since Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli, who started leading the company in June, announced a restructuring plan.

#saudi-arabia #saudi #arabia
Compare →
The Kathmandu Post
5d ago
Saudi Arabia restricts foreign workers in 97 tourism and administrative job titles

Saudi Arabia restricts foreign workers in 97 tourism and administrative job titles

Four types of tourism jobs are now reserved entirely for Saudi nationals, while 12 others require 70 percent local staffing and another 12 need 50 percent.

#saudi-arabia #saudi #arabia
Compare →
Hamro Patro News
5d ago
Attack on Aramco Tower in Riyadh Following Missile Interception

Attack on Aramco Tower in Riyadh Following Missile Interception

Saudi Arabia. Some time after the Saudi-led coalition announced that it had neutralized missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels in mid-air, an attack occurred in the financial district of the Saudi...

#saudi-arabia #houthi
Compare →

Related Stories

Technology
Build #2611