Conflict & Security
New Riyadh blasts heard after airport hit, coalition says
AFP journalists heard two new explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh on Sunday, more than an hour after the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Riyadh's airport had come under a fresh attack.
The cause of the new blasts was not immediately clear.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki had said an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport and caused a fire. He said authorities were responding at the scene.
Al-Maliki also said in a post on X that Saudi air defences had “intercepted and destroyed” a cruise missile near the airport. AFP journalists heard a powerful explosion in central Riyadh earlier Sunday.
Three residents in the city's north later reported hearing another blast, and residents said they saw ambulances heading towards the airport, which lies in the northeast of the Saudi capital.
A Riyadh Metro official told AFP that authorities had suspended service to two of the three stations serving the airport. The official said the decision would be reviewed daily.
The latest incident followed Saturday's attack on Riyadh airport, which the Saudi-led coalition has blamed on the Houthis. Saudi Arabia backs Yemen's internationally recognised government against the Houthis, who captured swathes of Red Sea coastline in an offensive last month.
Update
AFP journalists heard two new explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh.
The blasts were heard more than an hour after the Saudi-led coalition reported a fresh attack on Riyadh's airport.
The cause of the new blasts was not immediately clear.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 16:00:44 UTC.
Update
AFP journalists heard a powerful explosion in central Riyadh before later reports of another blast in the city's north.
Residents said ambulances were seen heading towards King Khalid International Airport.
A Riyadh Metro official said service was suspended to two of the three stations serving the airport, with the decision to be reviewed daily.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 15:59:16 UTC.
Update
The Saudi-led coalition said the unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the strike caused a fire.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 14:52:03 UTC.
Update
The Saudi-led coalition said air defences downed a cruise missile near Riyadh airport.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 14:42:22 UTC.
Update
The Saudi-led coalition said an unidentified projectile hit Riyadh airport.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 14:35:23 UTC.
Update
The Saudi-led coalition reported a fire at a Riyadh airport terminal after a strike.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 14:38:34 UTC.
Update
Three residents in northern Riyadh reported hearing another blast after AFP journalists heard a powerful explosion in central Riyadh.
A resident in Al-Aarid neighbourhood said the sound shook the house and startled birds.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 14:22:57 UTC.
Update
AFP journalists described the blast as powerful and heard it in central Riyadh.
The blast came a day after an attack on Riyadh's airport killed 12 people and wounded hundreds, according to AFP.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 October 2026 at 13:52:53 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The cause of the two new blasts heard in central Riyadh was not immediately clear.
The source of the projectile reported by the Saudi-led coalition was not independently established in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .