The General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia announced today, Friday, that three Saudi citizens were killed and a number of citizens and residents were injured in two attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudi Airlines plane yesterday, Thursday. The authority said in a statement, “The first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second attack targeted a Saudi Airlines plane.”
She added that the injuries ranged from “minor to severe,” and that the two attacks resulted in material damage, noting that operational operations at the airport have resumed and air traffic has returned to normal.
The Authority did not specify the party responsible for the two attacks, while the Houthis, allied with Iran, claimed responsibility for targeting the airport, and said they attacked it with two cruise missiles. The group also announced that it had targeted an airport in the city of Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia, which was not confirmed by the Saudi authorities, and an air base in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles.
The attack comes in light of the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, as the Houthis say that their targeting of the Kingdom comes because of its support for government forces in the renewed civil war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia says it supports the attack launched by the internationally recognized Yemeni government to reclaim territory from the Houthis.
On Wednesday, the Saudi authorities announced the killing of three people in previous strikes this week that targeted Riyadh and Abha airports in the southwest of the Kingdom. King Khalid International Airport was also subjected to multiple attacks that resulted in the death of a Sudanese citizen earlier in the week.
The latest attack, according to the Associated Press, is the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and its allied forces in Yemen launched a large-scale military attack last weekend against the Iran-backed Houthis.
The escalation comes in the context of the war between the United States and Iran spilling over into conflict, which has fueled unrest in a region already suffering from instability due to the broader war, and threatens to drag other countries into the escalating fighting.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (October 8, 2026) that his statements about the possibility of Iran “destroying” cities in California were misunderstood, and that he was actually referring to the need for people to bear the rise in gasoline prices. Trump made these statements during a political rally in Nebraska on Monday while talking about the economic sacrifices that Americans make in times of war.
He said at the time, "Again, remember, it (the cost) is only artificial in light of war, it is a little high, it is a small price to pay. We are paying a small price to maintain the security of the world and the security of our country. They can destroy a city. Let them destroy Los Angeles, let them destroy San Diego. This is a very small price, and it will be over very soon."
These statements were quickly criticized by California Democratic Party and Republican Party leaders. Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform today, “What I was talking about is that a temporary rise in gasoline prices is a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon.”
He continued, "If you want to see a high price, can you imagine what the situation would be like if they bombed San Diego or Los Angeles, or both?", indicating that he loves both cities. Trump previously ignored concerns about the cost of living resulting from the war with Iran.
In response to reports that Damascus was considering military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its escalating war against the Houthi group in Yemen, the Syrian Ministry of Information stated on Wednesday evening (October 8, 2026) that “Syria’s priority at the current stage is to rebuild the country, strengthen its institutions, and work with partners on reconstruction and improving the lives of Syrians.”
The Syrian Response account, affiliated with the Foreign Media Department of the Syrian Ministry of Information, said that Damascus’ position is “clear,” and that “any military cooperation with partner countries will only be through official channels and existing bilateral frameworks.”
On Wednesday evening, Axios reported from three American officials that Saudi Arabia and Syria were holding talks about sending between 10,000 and 20,000 Syrian soldiers to Yemen to join the counterattack against the Houthis.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa made a public visit to Riyadh yesterday, Tuesday, and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The American official said that the possibility of providing Syrian military assistance to the Kingdom was among the matters discussed during the visit.
Footage broadcast by Syrian government media showed Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman, brother of the Crown Prince and responsible for the Yemeni file, accompanying him to his plane on the way back.
Damascus' intervention in Yemen carries risks
The factions that once made up the armed opposition are now under the authority of the emerging Syrian state, which has adopted a policy of avoiding involvement in conflicts, including the Iran war, to focus on recovering from the 14-year civil war.
The state is still working to build its army from various factions of the previous opposition coalition that ousted Assad, which included many hardline Sunni Islamist fighters and foreign fighters, and is trying to contain tensions with minorities, including the Alawites, a branch of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs.
The American official said that any conflict between this army and the Houthis, who also follow one of the Shiite sects, may carry divisive religious connotations, which is what the Syrian leadership and its Western partners want to avoid. For this reason, Syria previously rejected a US request for assistance in fighting the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
Engaging in a battle against the Houthis, who are allied with Iran, may also be viewed as a hostile act by Iran and its allies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the armed factions in Iraq, which are parties engaged in a historical conflict with the armed Syrian opponents who have become rulers in Syria.
He was keen to show support
At the same time, Al-Sharaa is keen to show Syria's support for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who played a crucial role in helping him gain international legitimacy, including by brokering a meeting in May 2025 between him and US President Donald Trump.
The American official said that Saudi Arabia provided financial aid to Syria, and expressing Syrian support may lead to an increase in that aid.
“For the new Syria to send personnel on defensive missions in very small numbers to the holiest sites in the Islamic world, along with providing technical support to neutralize incoming drones, will carry enormous and positive symbolic connotations,” said H. A. Hellyer, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He added, "But anything beyond that, especially with regard to the presence of Syrian forces on the ground, I think would be a completely different proposition, and I think Damascus would avoid it, given the priorities it has to focus on in Syria."
