Dubai: The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis dominated the region on Thursday, October 15, with new figures on the toll of attacks on Riyadh’s main airport, a cruise missile intercepted near Madinah and fresh disruption to flights between the UAE and the kingdom. Here is what you need to know.
The Houthis have attacked Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport 20 times since October 1, according to Turki Al Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Speaking at a press conference in the Saudi capital on Thursday, he said strikes between October 7 and 11 alone killed 17 people and injured 333. The October 10 attack, he said, involved 10 drones as well as missiles and other projectiles.
Earlier on Thursday, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile in the Madinah region, home to one of Islam’s holiest cities. The Houthis, who had previously pledged not to target the area, denied carrying out any operation against Saudi territory that day, with military spokesman Yahya Saree dismissing the Saudi account as false.
Residents of Najran and Jazan also received a brief early warning alert over a possible threat on Thursday, which authorities lifted minutes later after confirming the danger had passed.
The attacks have also hit diplomacy. The second summit between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, due to be held in Riyadh on October 24, has been postponed, with a new date to be announced later.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a message of condolence to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud over the victims of the attacks on King Khalid International Airport, and wished the injured a swift recovery.
Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), also reaffirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with the kingdom. In a message to his Saudi counterpart, Shura Council Speaker Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al Sheikh, he condemned the Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian and economic facilities as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability.
Travellers in the UAE faced another day of disruption on Thursday, with delays at both Dubai International (DXB) and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport and further cancellations on routes to Saudi Arabia. Both airports remain open and flights continue across most of the international network, but departures may not leave on time.
The heaviest impact is on Saudi services following the attacks on Riyadh’s airport. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the airport was hit twice on October 8, with one strike on airport facilities and another on a Saudia aircraft, killing three Saudi nationals.
In a new travel advisory, IndiGo said flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah are cancelled until October 24 inclusive. Affected passengers are being contacted using the details given at the time of booking, while those who booked through travel agents should contact them directly.
Other restrictions remain in place. flydubai’s Tel Aviv services are still affected after a security incident involving flight FZ1073 on September 30, and Emirates has suspended codeshare flights on those routes until further notice. The UAE’s ban on Iranian airlines operating to and from the country also continues.
Some foreign carriers are restoring UAE services. Air Astana and Philippine Airlines have already resumed Dubai flights, while Lufthansa will restart Munich–Dubai on October 25 and Frankfurt–Dubai on October 26. SWISS returns to Zurich–Dubai on October 27, Eurowings launches several German routes to Dubai from November 1, and British Airways is due back in Dubai on November 3.
Others are staying away for longer. Air France has suspended Dubai and Riyadh flights until October 24, as have Lufthansa Group airlines and Eurowings on Abu Dhabi routes. Singapore Airlines’ Dubai service remains cancelled until December 1, Cathay Pacific has halted Dubai and Riyadh flights until January 31, 2027, and Wizz Air has pushed back several new Abu Dhabi routes to January 10, 2027.
The UK has dropped its broad warning against all but essential travel to the UAE, but cautions that regional tensions could still disrupt flights. The US keeps the UAE at Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), Canada advises a high degree of caution, and Australia urges travellers to reconsider their need to travel. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has told American citizens to stay alert to possible drone or missile attacks.
At sea, at least 10 vessels have been struck in and around the Strait of Hormuz since Sunday, the highest number over such a period since the US-Israel war with Iran began.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a container ship carrying more than 2,500 containers sank south of the strait after hitting a naval mine while using what Tehran calls an unauthorised route near Oman. There has been no independent confirmation of the claim.
According to a Reuters report citing a US military official, the IRGC has started using unarmed spotters in small boats to track ships, including US Navy vessels, after much of its radar capability was destroyed. US Central Command said it destroyed an Iranian-linked dhow in the Gulf of Oman on October 6 after the crew was safely removed.
The US is considering using its largest non-nuclear bomb, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, known as the “Mother of All Bombs”, against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump decides to resume combat, CNN reported, citing officials.
In Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran faces its toughest blockade since the 1979 revolution and accused Washington of trying to stir unrest. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran must stay ready for war even while negotiating with the US, arguing that any signed deal offers no guarantee.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Gulf economies are expected to recover but will not return to their pre-war growth path in the medium term. IMF regional director Jihad Azour said the shock would leave lasting damage across sectors and require extra spending to build resilience. The fund projects the Middle East and Central Asia region will shrink by 0.3 per cent in 2026.
