Ten missiles south, two drones for Riyadh, and an airport reopened

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles, drones and a cruise missile on Sunday. The same day, Riyadh's main airport resumed operations, two weeks after the deadliest attack on the kingdom in over a decade.

Security & Order Dr. Benjamin Koch / The Desk Monday, 26 October 2026, 08:30 CET 2 min read2 sources

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Sunday that two drones and a ballistic missile heading for Riyadh were “intercepted and destroyed”, as were 10 ballistic missiles launched towards the kingdom’s southern region and a cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait¹. The Houthis said they had “carried out seven qualitative military operations”, naming Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu among their targets¹. Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to CNBC¹.

The airport said it was resuming operations on Sunday, using Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international routes¹. It had suspended operations on 10 October after a strike that killed at least 13 people and injured around 300, the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade¹.

The US ordered non-emergency government staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia last week¹. Reuters reports the Houthis said they attacked the airport and oil facilities again on Saturday².

What you can take from it: the interceptions worked on Sunday, and an airport reopened under fire. Both are the work of people doing shifts. Neither guarantees next week.

What to watch

Whether King Khalid International keeps flying; it reopened Terminals 1 and 2 on Sunday¹.
Any confirmed damage at Yanbu; on Sunday Aramco had not commented¹.

Desk comment

Air defence is an inventory business: interceptors, radar hours, crews. Inventories run down quietly before they run out.

Sources

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted missiles and drones from Iran-backed Houthis — CNBC, 25 Oct 2026, updated 9:41 EDT.
Oil slips from near six-months highs despite supply concerns — Reuters via Business Recorder, 26 Oct 2026.

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