# Riyadh Airport Attacked and Evacuated for the Third Time in a Week, With at Least 225 Flights Canceled

Air traffic to the Saudi capital stopped two days after a strike claimed by the Houthis killed three Saudi citizens. Meanwhile, President Trump says the Iran war "will end quickly, one way or another."

- Published: 2026-10-10T05:16:36.849Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-10/trump-says-the-iran-war-will-end-quickly-one-way-or-another
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [Globes (Hebrew)](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001559007#utm_source=RSS), [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/world/middleeast/flydubai-pilot-attack.html)

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was attacked and evacuated on Saturday. It is the third attack on the Saudi capital's main airport in a week, [NBC News reported](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/riyadh-airport-attacked-rcna602662). Air traffic to the airport stopped, and at least 225 flights were canceled over the previous 24 hours. The strike hit Terminal 3. A hospital source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that dozens of people were wounded, [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/10/the-airport-in-the-saudi-capital-has-been-attacked-again-officials.html), and a medical source said at least five were in intensive care, [according to Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/10/evacuations-and-injuries-reported-at-riyadh-airport-after-another-alleged-houthi-attack).

The attack came two days after a Thursday strike on the airport killed three Saudi citizens, including an airline pilot. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) gave that toll, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/saudi-arabia-reopens-riyadh-airport-after-houthi-attack-kills-three). The Houthi movement in Yemen, which Iran backs, claimed the earlier strikes. It had issued no statement about Saturday's attack. The Houthis say they are retaliating for Saudi strikes on the airports in Sanaa and Hodeidah. They have warned airlines that any aircraft in Saudi airspace is a target, except over Mecca and Medina. The airport attacks began after a Saudi-led coalition launched a major offensive against the Houthis in Yemen. Kuwait Airways canceled its Saturday flights between Kuwait City and Riyadh and cited the airport's closure, [Anadolu Agency reported](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/kuwait-airways-cancels-riyadh-flights-citing-airport-closure-/4084603). Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines have suspended flights to and from Saudi airports. As of Saturday, Saudi authorities had not officially announced that the airport was closed.

The strikes on Riyadh come while Washington decides its next move against Iran. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran "will end quickly, one way or another," [Globes reported](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001559007#utm_source=RSS), and the paper cited The New York Times as saying that senior US officials have discussed a short campaign against Iran's missile and drone stockpiles. [CNBC reported](https://cnbc.com/2026/10/08/us-iran-war-trump-hormuz.html) that Trump dismissed the prospects of a deal and said Tehran was "willing to offer us anything to stop." He has also said the United States will not launch strikes before the November 3 midterm elections, [The Hill reported](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6136781-trump-vows-no-iran-attack/). [Al Jazeera asked](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/is-trump-signalling-a-return-to-war-with-iran-after-the-midterms) whether that timeline points to renewed war after the vote. Earlier this year, Washington reportedly [delayed escalation because its stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles were running low](https://cambodianess.com/article/trump-postpones-escalating-strikes-on-iran-as-missile-stockpiles-dwindle-reports). That shortage still limits how long a new campaign could last.

Other parts of Gulf aviation are also under pressure. The attorney general of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that the co-pilot behind an attack aboard a FlyDubai flight had planned to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. According to the Emirati account, the co-pilot was inspired by the September 11 attacks and had developed extreme Islamist views over several years, [The New York Times reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/world/middleeast/flydubai-pilot-attack.html). The UAE runs the Gulf's main aviation and logistics hub. Abu Dhabi has an interest in presenting the case as one man's radicalization rather than as a failure of security in its aviation system. No outside investigation has confirmed that account. [Globes](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001559007#utm_source=RSS) also reported that airport workers in Paris refused to load defense cargo onto an El Al flight.

## What this means

Trump's pre-election pause and the planning for a short campaign afterward give oil markets a date to price. That raises the cost of options running past early November and supports Gulf freight and war-risk insurance rates even while no strikes are under way. Iran is likely to use the pause to move or disperse the missile and drone stocks a short campaign would target. Washington's interceptor shortage limits how long the United States can absorb Iranian retaliation, which is why officials are discussing a short campaign. The consensus prices a short campaign as a contained event. The precedent is the June 2025 strikes, when oil spiked and then fell back within days, but this time Brent already trades above $100 and the Strait of Hormuz has already been partly closed once this year. The desk's read is that the oil risk premium will build into November and that any strike will hit Gulf shipping and aviation more than crude output. The read is wrong if Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, produces a signed framework before the election, which would remove the November date from market pricing.

## What to watch

- Whether Saudi authorities formally close or reopen King Khalid International Airport, and whether more airlines suspend Saudi routes. Further suspensions would show that the Houthi threat against Saudi airspace is cutting commercial air links to the kingdom.
- Whether the Houthis claim Saturday's attack or strike other Saudi or Gulf airports. Attacks beyond Riyadh would spread flight disruption to more of the region's air travel and cargo network, including hubs such as Dubai.
- The progress of the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen. The Houthis describe their airport strikes as retaliation for that campaign, so an escalation or a pause in the fighting would likely change how often Saudi airports are attacked.
- Whether Trump keeps his pledge not to strike Iran before the November 3 midterm elections. Renewed US strikes would widen the conflict that already includes Iran's allies in Yemen, and Washington's interceptor stocks would limit how long such a campaign could last.