Houthis Kill Three Saudis in Riyadh Airport Attacks as Navi Pillay Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Yemen's Houthi rebels struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh twice on Thursday, killing three Saudi citizens, including Saudia Airlines pilot Capt. Hamoud Ali al-Kalthami, and wounding several others. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the missile strike on the airport, while Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority did not formally assign blame. One Saudia aircraft was damaged on the ground during the attack, though no passengers were aboard.

The strikes are part of a widening Houthi campaign against Saudi airports. Earlier attacks over the preceding days had killed a Sudanese resident and wounded eight others at King Khalid International Airport on Wednesday, and struck Abha International Airport as well, marking at least three consecutive days of Houthi assaults on Saudi aviation infrastructure. Outgoing flights from Riyadh's airport were halted and passengers were instructed to evacuate, according to witnesses. Pakistan, a key Saudi ally, confirmed it has troops stationed in the kingdom as the conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels escalates.

Separately, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, citing her efforts to promote peace and international law. Pillay previously served as a judge in South Africa, at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and at the International Criminal Court, and has been a prominent voice calling out alleged atrocities in Gaza.