Saudi Arabia says Houthi airport attacks killed three foreign nationals

Three civilians were killed and 36 injured in attacks on Abha and King Khalid international airports on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a statement from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation cited by Al Jazeera. The authority said the Abha attack killed two female residents, a Moroccan and an Algerian, and injured 28 others. It said the attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh killed a Sudanese citizen and injured eight residents, including five Saudi citizens. The authority said it is working "in full integration and continuous coordination with the relevant security authorities" to assess the damage and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers.

DW reported that Saudi Arabia intercepted another ballistic missile north of Riyadh on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces launched a large-scale offensive to recapture territory along the Red Sea coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the city of Mokha, and Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes to support it, DW reported. Al Jazeera reported that on September 18 Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted and destroyed a suspected Houthi ballistic missile fired towards the Riyadh airport from Yemen. It also reported that on September 19 an explosion was heard near the airport and black smoke rose from a fuel storage area at King Khalid international airport.

Turkey and Pakistan decided to implement the Mecca defense pact's collective defense commitments in practical terms immediately, according to a joint statement reported by DW. The decision followed an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Monday between the three countries' defense and foreign ministers and senior military chiefs. DW reported this means providing military forces and capabilities and ensuring their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia. It also reported the appointment of retired Pakistani lieutenant general Nauman Mahmood as the alliance's first secretary-general, for a three-year term.

DW reported that the pact was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on August 7, 2026, and states that an armed attack on one of the three states should be regarded as an attack on them all. It reported that neither Pakistan nor Turkey had joined Saudi Arabia's combat operations since then, arguing that command and operational structures were still being developed. Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, told DW that Ankara and Islamabad "undoubtedly will seek to strengthen the Saudi kingdom's posture vis-a-vis the Houthi threat". She said what the pact's activation means operationally, including the specific capabilities deployed and the scope of their missions, has not been made public, calling this "not unusual for such a military operation amid myriad sensitivities".

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the meeting that there were not only military options on the table. "We also discussed what could be done to resolve the problem peacefully and through dialogue," he said, according to DW. DW reported that opposition parties in Turkey have criticized the pact and that, under Turkey's constitution, international agreements generally require approval by the Grand National Assembly, which has not yet been granted. Namik Tan, an Istanbul lawmaker from the social democratic Yeni Parti and a former Turkish ambassador to Israel and the United States, said in a statement: "How can the so-called Mecca agreement on joint defense be valid and implemented without having been submitted to the Turkish parliament for approval?"

DW reported that the scope of a potential Turkish military deployment remains unclear and that, as a NATO member, any Turkish military involvement could carry broader implications for the entire alliance. According to the 2026 Global Firepower military strength ranking cited by DW, the three countries have about 1.4 million active personnel, some 3,400 military aircraft, 6,000 tanks and more than 340 naval assets. Al Jazeera reported that the US embassy in Riyadh has issued another security alert for Americans in Saudi Arabia, reminding US citizens to "exercise heightened vigilance".