Iran-aligned Houthi forces carried out a string of attacks targeting airports in Saudi Arabia through Sunday, reportedly leaving at least 14 people dead—including one American—and more than 300 injured, according to reports.
The airport strikes have intensified concerns that the conflict could expand into a broader Middle East war. Regional specialists are warning of potential “cross-domain escalation” as tensions rise following Washington’s September measures against Iran’s aviation industry.
The Houthis claimed earlier attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. U.S. officials attributed Saturday’s deadly strike to the Iran-backed group, saying 13 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded.
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 reported that a separate attack Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and wounded 11 others. The Houthis were also reported to have targeted an airport in Dammam, located in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
“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 Media on Sunday.
He said the focus on airports and aviation infrastructure appeared closely tied to the shutdown of Iran’s aviation sector and U.S. sanctions placed on Iranian commercial airlines as part of Washington’s maximum-pressure campaign.
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 passengers to stay away from Saudi airports. The warning came as Riyadh pledged to respond to the deadly attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Saturday’s assault, confirmed that an American was among the victims and demanded an immediate halt to the violence.
President Donald Trump did not rule out U.S. participation in Saudi Arabia’s military response to the Houthis. “We may. We’re gonna look at it. We move very quickly,” Trump said.
The latest attacks came almost three weeks after a senior Iranian official threatened to disrupt airport operations across neighboring countries if they assisted U.S. efforts to limit Iranian flights.
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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, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, said on Sept. 23 that Tehran would stop airports in neighboring nations from functioning if those countries supported Washington’s campaign to restrict Iranian flights, according to Reuters.
“This rapid targeting reflects earlier threats made by Iranian officials,” Taleblu said, pointing to what he described as a veiled warning from Iran’s top national security official. That warning suggested U.S. aviation sanctions could trigger retaliation against airport infrastructure in neighboring countries.
Tehran has provided long-standing support to the Houthis, although no independent confirmation has established the extent of Iran’s role in the newest airport strikes.
The violence has also brought renewed attention to claims 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 allegations that Moscow is providing the Houthis with intelligence and technical capabilities.
“Beyond offering diplomatic cover, there are persistent reports of Russian satellite collaboration, advisory support and intelligence targeting assistance,” experts said, along with unverified claims involving certain anti-ship weapons 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.