# Houthis Claim Strikes Near Riyadh Airport as Footage Counters Reports of Saudi Gains in Dhubab

*Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:23 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-06T06:23:55.302Z (2h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/19813.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Houthi media say missiles and drones repeatedly targeted Riyadh’s international airport overnight, interrupting aircraft movements, while geolocated footage shows Houthi fighters in the Yemeni coastal city of Dhubab despite Saudi-aligned claims that it had fallen.

Yemen’s Houthi movement is pushing pressure on Saudi Arabia both across the border and along the Red Sea coast, according to claims and footage circulating on 6 October.

On the air front, Houthi statements say the group launched missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles several times overnight toward Riyadh’s international airport. They claim movements of planes at the airport were halted on several occasions, though Saudi authorities have not issued detailed public confirmation of the scale of any disruption or reported casualties.

These reported launches fit a pattern in which the Houthis seek to show they can still reach deep into Saudi territory and unsettle civilian air travel, even after years of Saudi airstrikes and air‑defense deployments.

On the ground in Yemen, new video from conflict‑monitoring accounts shows Houthi fighters present in the city of Dhubab. The footage, which has been used to geolocate Houthi positions, directly challenges claims on Yemen TV and Saudi‑aligned Al‑Arabiya that forces loyal to the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) had taken Dhubab and nearby Mokha.

Dhubab sits on Yemen’s western coastline, in a sector that matters for control of the approaches to the Bab el‑Mandeb strait and the southern Red Sea. Continued Houthi presence there undercuts the narrative of steady coalition gains along the coast.

The combination of claimed strikes aimed at Riyadh’s main airport and visual evidence of fighters in Dhubab allows the Houthis and their supporters to argue that they retain both long‑range reach into Saudi territory and a foothold on the Yemeni shore.

For Saudi decision‑makers, these signals pose familiar questions over whether to intensify military operations or seek arrangements that could reduce cross‑border fire without conceding too much ground in Yemen.

Key developments to watch include any official Saudi account of last night’s events near Riyadh airport, independent assessments of who controls Dhubab and Mokha, and signs that Houthi projectiles from coastal areas are being used to threaten or hit shipping in nearby waters.