The skies over Riyadh are empty of planes after the violent Houthi attacks, and Iran expresses its willingness to mediate between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

The airspace of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was largely empty of planes today, Monday (October 12, 2026), following attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran on King Khalid International Airport. Data issued by Cirium, a company specializing in aviation analytics, showed that about 60 percent of scheduled flights are expected to be cancelled.

According to Cirium data, King Khalid Airport, which is the second busiest airport in the Kingdom after Jeddah, canceled 99.7 percent of the flights that were scheduled for yesterday, Sunday. It is expected that more than a third of scheduled flights will not be operated across the Kingdom today, Monday, while estimates by the flight tracking website (Flight Radar 24) indicated that cancellations at Riyadh Airport reached about 78 percent.

The airport in the Saudi capital remained closed yesterday, Sunday, following an attack that killed one person and injured more than ten people. Yesterday's attack came on the heels of another attack for which the Houthis claimed responsibility the previous day, which resulted in the killing of 13 people and the wounding of more than 300 others.

The attacks caused one of the largest disruptions to Saudi civil aviation in years, forcing airlines in Europe and Asia to suspend their flights. The Federal Aviation Administration asked American airlines yesterday, Sunday, to exercise caution when launching flights to Saudi Arabia or flights passing through its airspace.

The Lufthansa Group canceled all its flights to Riyadh until October 16, while Air France-KLM extended the suspension of flights to and from the Saudi capital until the end of the month.

Iran's willingness to mediate

Today, Iran, which supports the Houthis, expressed its "deep concern" about the escalation of attacks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei told reporters, "We feel very concerned about the developments in the situation in the Arabian Peninsula," stressing Tehran's readiness to "facilitate dialogue between the two sides" of the conflict.

Baqaei said, "We absolutely do not want the continuation of hostilities and war between two Islamic countries," calling on both parties to address the situation "through dialogue and communication."

In recent days, Riyadh has witnessed attacks of an intensity not seen since the beginning of the war in Yemen in 2014 between the Houthis and government forces militarily supported by a coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2015.

The Saudi authorities said that one person was killed and 11 others were injured in a new attack on Riyadh International Airport yesterday, Sunday (October 11, 2026), a day after an attack on the airport that the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran claimed responsibility for, killing 13 and wounding more than 300.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that an “unidentified projectile” targeted Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, causing a fire. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation stated that 11 people were injured in addition to the person who died.

According to the "Flight Radar 24" website, which specializes in tracking air traffic, the authorities have extended the closure of the capital's airport for an additional 24 hours, until 21:00 GMT on Monday.

The coalition announced that Saudi air defenses intercepted a cruise missile near the airport. The coalition later reported intercepting and destroying a drone in the eastern region of the Kingdom, adding that a ballistic missile launched towards Khamis Mushait was also intercepted.

The Houthis also announced, through their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, that they had launched massive attacks during the past twenty-four hours, targeting Riyadh Airport “in three stages,” Dammam Airport, and two facilities belonging to the Aramco oil company.

The Saudi Civil Defense said that it issued an early warning of a potential danger in Abha, in the south of the Kingdom, early on Monday, adding that the danger had subsequently passed from the city.