Houthi-Saudi War: Where Things Stand in October 2026

The war between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia has reignited on a scale not seen in years. Since early September, the Iran-aligned group has seized ground on the Red Sea coast, fired waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports and energy sites, and struck Yemeni government forces deep in the south. On October 19, three Houthi ballistic missiles hit a training camp in Shabwa province, killing at least 53 recruits. Saudi-backed government forces, meanwhile, are pushing a counteroffensive that aims to retake the capital, Sanaa. Here is where the conflict stands.

How the new round began

The current escalation began with a Houthi offensive in early September, when the group captured the port town of Mokha and territory near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping chokepoints. The internationally recognised government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, answered with a counteroffensive it calls “Dawn of Yemen,” aimed at retaking Houthi-held areas including Sanaa, which the Houthis seized in 2014.

Saudi Arabia says the Houthis turned down an invitation to talks in Oman in July. The group, for its part, says its attacks on the kingdom are retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in Yemen.

Missiles on Saudi airports

Between October 6 and 12, the Houthis carried out a sustained campaign of ballistic missile and drone attacks on three Saudi airports: King Khalid International in Riyadh, Abha International and King Fahd International in Dammam.

• October 6-7: A combined missile and drone attack hit Riyadh and Abha airports. One person was killed and eight injured in Riyadh; two were killed and 28 wounded in Abha.
• October 8: Two strikes on King Khalid destroyed a Saudia Airbus A320. Saudi authorities said three Saudi citizens, including the pilot, were killed.
• October 10: A ballistic missile hit the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4 at King Khalid, killing 13 people and injuring 308. The coalition called it a “full-fledged war crime.”
• October 11: Terminal 4 was hit again, killing one person. King Fahd Airport in Dammam was also targeted, with no casualties reported.
• October 12: Saudi air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles, one of them aimed at Riyadh’s airport.

In all, the airport strikes killed at least 20 people and injured more than 370. The coalition says the Houthis targeted King Khalid International 20 times in October alone. The Houthis have also hit Saudi oil tankers, energy facilities and state oil company Aramco, and have warned airlines against using Saudi airports other than those serving Mecca and Medina.

Drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Province

The attacks have not stopped. Early on October 18, the coalition said it shot down two drones, one near Riyadh and one over the Eastern Province, hours after intercepting another near the capital. On October 19, Saudi authorities warned Riyadh residents of “a hostile aerial threat.” The disruption has spread across the Gulf: Etihad has cancelled its Abu Dhabi flights to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah through October 24.

Shabwa: the deadliest single strike

On October 19, the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam military camp in Shabwa province during a training exercise for new security recruits. The Shabwa local authority said 53 people were killed and about 200 injured; early government and medical figures had put the toll at 18 dead. Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, called the attack a terrorist act and promised a “firm response.” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said any site hosting Saudi-backed forces is a legitimate target.

Days earlier, on October 15, Houthi missiles hit the presidential palace compound in Aden, the government’s temporary seat, killing five people, according to Yemeni authorities.

The ground war: Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf

Fighting has spread across several fronts. Government-aligned commanders said eight soldiers were killed in heavy clashes on the al-Maqatirah front in Lahij on October 17. In Taiz, government troops said they killed 12 Houthi fighters in al-Aqroud, on the edge of the city, and repelled an attack on the al-Shaqab front, while the Homeland Shield Forces said they destroyed a Houthi supply vehicle with a drone. In al-Jawf and Marib, government troops and allied tribal fighters are pressing an offensive backed by artillery, drones and coalition airstrikes on Houthi command posts and supply depots. The Houthis fired missiles toward Marib city on October 18.

The air war is also costing the coalition. The Houthis say they downed a Turkish-made Karayel reconnaissance drone over Hajjah, the fourth since the escalation began, and claimed to have shot down a Saudi helicopter in Najran. The coalition said an AH-6i helicopter crashed there because of a technical fault, killing both crew. Houthi media reported 10 Saudi airstrikes on Saada province. Off al-Mukalla, armed men in a skiff fired on an LNG tanker before breaking off when its security team fired warning shots.

Iran’s role and the diplomatic front

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 17 that Iran has given the Houthis targeting intelligence, missile and drone assistance and training, and that Revolutionary Guard officers are in Yemen helping deploy missiles and radars covering the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Tehran denies any role and has offered to mediate between the Houthis and Riyadh; a senior Houthi official also rejected the report.

Regional pressure is building. On October 18, Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers meeting in Manama condemned the Houthi attacks, invoked their joint defence pact, declaring that an attack on one member is an attack on all, and urged governments to designate the Houthis a terrorist organisation. The UN Security Council condemned the strikes on Saudi Arabia on October 15. Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers have jointly condemned the attacks, and Egypt has pledged “necessary” support to the kingdom.

The humanitarian toll

The International Organization for Migration says more than 233,000 people have been displaced since the escalation began, about 121,000 of them in Taiz province. The World Health Organization describes Taiz city as “functionally isolated”: its 12 hospitals have fuel for only four days, no surgical supplies and critical shortages of oxygen and medicine, while a cholera outbreak is growing. Local monitors say food prices in the besieged city have risen fivefold. More than 4,000 refugees have crossed to Djibouti and Somalia.

Outlook

Both sides are escalating at once. The Houthis have shown they can hit Riyadh’s main airport repeatedly and strike deep into government-held territory, while Riyadh and its Yemeni allies are betting on a ground offensive to reverse September’s losses. With the GCC invoking collective defence, reports of growing Iranian involvement and the wider US-Iran war still unresolved, the Yemen front risks becoming the most active battleground in the region.

Sources

• Al Jazeera, “Houthi attack on Yemen army camp in Shabwa kills at least 53: reports,” October 19, 2026
• Al Jazeera, “Fighting intensifies across Yemen as humanitarian crisis deepens,” October 18, 2026
• Al Jazeera, “GCC condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as Yemen fighting intensifies,” October 18, 2026
• Wikipedia, “October 2026 Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian airports”
• Iran International, October 19, 2026 (citing The Wall Street Journal)
• Gulf News, October 20, 2026

Featured image: A Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA Eagle. Photo: Jim van de Burgt via Wikimedia Commons (CC0, public domain).