Saudi-led coalition destroys 82 Houthi targets as retaliation widens after deadly airport strikes

The Saudi-led coalition has struck back after this week’s deadly Houthi airport attacks, with spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki announcing a “comprehensive operation” that destroyed 82 Houthi military targets across Yemen.

The targets, in the governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib, included 11 mountain-based ballistic missile storage facilities in Saada, alongside command-and-control centres, communications systems and weapons depots, al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. He warned that attacks on civilians and civilian objects “will not go unpunished”. The coalition also said it intercepted a ballistic missile over Riyadh on Wednesday and destroyed its launch platform in Sanaa.

The operation follows Houthi strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, which killed three people and wounded 36, according to Saudi aviation authorities. A Sudanese resident was killed and eight people were injured at King Khalid airport; two women — one Moroccan, one Algerian — were killed and 28 people injured at Abha.

The UAE on Thursday condemned the airport attacks “in the strongest terms” and pledged support for “all measures” taken by Riyadh. India’s foreign ministry called the targeting of civilian infrastructure “completely unacceptable” and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

The conflict is widening diplomatically. Reuters reported on Thursday that Syria is considering military aid to Saudi Arabia — defensive or offensive — citing a US official and a Syrian defence official, and that Riyadh has pressed Turkey and Pakistan for support. But a Syrian presidential media adviser, Ahmad Zaidan, denied that the kingdom had asked Damascus to send troops, calling the reports “lies” on X. Pakistan has confirmed its forces are already in the kingdom: military spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN on Wednesday they serve in “multiple capabilities”, days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed rapid deployments under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

The Houthis claimed a further ballistic-missile strike on King Khalid airport on Thursday. Loud booms were heard in Riyadh on Thursday morning, but Reuters said it could not identify the cause and there was no official comment.

Sources

• The National — “UAE states support for Saudi Arabia after Houthi airport attacks” (8 Oct 2026): https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/08/uae-states-support-for-saudi-arabia-after-houthi-airport-attacks/
• Reuters — “Syria considers help in Yemen war after Saudi airports come under Houthi fire” (8 Oct 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/syria-considers-help-yemen-war-after-saudi-airports-come-under-houthi-fire-2026-10-08/
• The National — “Syrian official denies Saudi Arabia asked Damascus to deploy troops in war with Houthis” (8 Oct 2026): https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/08/syrian-official-denies-saudi-arabia-asked-damascus-to-deploy-troops-in-war-with-houthis/
• Arab News — “Coalition vows Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian sites ‘will not go unpunished’” (8 Oct 2026): https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/coalition-vows-houthi-attacks-on-saudi-civilian-sites-will-not-go-unpunished-3005193
• Al Arabiya English — “Saudi-led coalition strikes Houthi targets in Yemen” (8 Oct 2026): https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2026/10/08/saudiled-coalition-strikes-houthi-targets-in-yemen
• CNN — “Pakistan confirms it has troops in Saudi as conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels escalates” (7 Oct 2026): https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/07/middleeast/houthis-attack-saudi-airports-latam-intl