Houthi Missile On Riyadh Wounds Residents, As IMF Chief Warns Of Spillover ‘For Everybody, Everywhere’

Wednesday has witnessed another Houthi ballistic missile attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s capital. The kingdom’s civil defense spokesman has confirmed bystanders were injured when missile debris from an inbound rocket fell after it was intercepted over Riyadh.

“The incident resulted in injury to an Arab resident and limited material damage to a residential building and a vehicle,” stated the spokesman, as quoted by state SPA news agency.

A later update included more casualties: “Saudi Arabia’s civil defense agency said on Wednesday that four people – two women, a man and a child – were wounded by debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles in the capital and that 15 homes were damaged.”

Saudi coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki had separately written on X, “Interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh.”

AFP journalists had cited loud explosions heard in the capital at the time of the attack, with emergency messages issued by authorities warning people on cell phones of an “aerial threat” and urging them to take shelter.

Saudi Arabia has faced widening Houthi strikes, which have now become daily since ramping up over the past week, in connection with the raging ground war in Yemen, focused on the Red Sea coast.

Last weekend saw two unprecedented strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh which killed 13 people and left hundreds injured.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, warned that these worsening attacks on Saudi Arabia could impact people “everywhere”.

“The Saudi economy is important for the region and the world, and in that sense, these developments have potentially negative spillovers for everybody, everywhere,” Georgieva stated at a news conference during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Bangkok.

One regional outlet has tallied that over a dozen countries have outright suspended flight services to Saudi Arabia, amid the Houthi ‘war on the airports’ – which has left major Saudi hubs shuttered for at least through the rest of this week:

At least 17 airlines from 13 countries have suspended or canceled flights to Saudi Arabia as of 13 October following Yemeni strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

Close to 1,500 flight-cancellation listings were recorded across Saudi Arabia’s major airports on 11 and 12 October, according to Flightradar24 data reviewed by Gulf Business. Riyadh alone lost 98 percent of its scheduled traffic on Sunday, with 655 cancellations.

Tuesday evening into the overnight hours also saw a rare Houthi attack on Saudi Aramco’s administrative headquarters in the kingdom’s east. It resulted in a “limited fire” – the company said.

Some independent analysts have pointed out the Houthis are an ally of Iran, not a proxy…

Tehran has twice urged Ansarallah to accept a ceasefire with Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also offered to mediate. Tehran appears to be prioritising regional stability and de-escalation, while Ansarallah insists that its military position will not be used as a bargaining chip for Iranian interests.

— Bushra Shaikh (@Bushra1Shaikh) October 13, 2026

All of this puts more pressure on the Trump White House to respond, at a moment Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to be urging greater military support. So far the US has stayed on the sidelines related to the Yemen conflict, other than providing intelligence assistance.