World

Holy Cities Targeted: 17 Dead, 333 Injured in Houthi Attacks

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 19, 2026•4 min read

Saudi Arabia claims Houthi attacks killed 17, injured 333, and targeted holy cities. The UN Security Council condemned the strikes and backed Riyadh.

Key Facts

Duta Besar Arab Saudi untuk Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al-Amoudi, menuduh kelompok Houthi menargetkan Kota Suci Makkah Al-Mukarramah dan Madinah Al-Munawwarah dalam konferensi pers di Jakarta, Jumat (16/10/2026).
Menurut klaim pihak Saudi yang disampaikan Dubes Faisal, serangan Houthi telah menewaskan 17 orang dan melukai 333 lainnya; angka ini belum diverifikasi pihak independen.
Bandara sipil yang disebut diserang: Bandara Internasional King Khalid (Riyadh), Bandara Abha, dan Bandara King Fahd (Dammam); koalisi mengklaim King Khalid diserang 20 kali sejak 1 Oktober.
Dewan Keamanan PBB mengeluarkan pernyataan presiden S/PRST/2026/4 pada Kamis (15/10/2026): mengecam serangan Houthi 'dengan sekeras-kerasnya', menegaskan hak bela diri Arab Saudi sesuai hukum internasional, dan menyatakan solidaritas seluruh 15 anggota dewan.
Pernyataan DK PBB secara khusus menyoroti serangan 10 dan 11 Oktober ke Bandara King Khalid yang menurut pernyataan itu menewaskan 14 orang dan melukai lebih dari 300 orang, serta mengecam ancaman terhadap pelayaran di Laut Merah dan Selat Bab el-Mandeb.
Dewan mendesak implementasi penuh Resolusi 2216 (2015) tentang embargo senjata terhadap Houthi dan menegaskan kembali dukungan bagi utusan khusus PBB untuk Yaman, Hans Grundberg.
Pernyataan bersama Arab Saudi, Mesir, Pakistan, dan Turki pada 11 Oktober serta pernyataan DK PBB hanya menyebut Houthi sebagai pihak bertanggung jawab — tidak menyebut Iran.
Wakil Menteri Diplomasi Publik Saudi, Rayed Krimly (15/10), menuduh Iran 'mendorong' eskalasi Houthi; juru bicara Kemlu Iran, Esmaeil Baqaei (17/10), membantah dan menyatakan pasukan bersenjata Yaman bertindak atas kepentingan mereka sendiri.

Casualty Figures: Saudi Claims

Jakarta ΓÇö Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al-Amoudi, stated that attacks by the Houthi armed group have killed 17 people and injured 333 others within Saudi territory. These figures represent Saudi claims delivered during a press conference at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in South Jakarta on Friday (10/16/2026), and have not been independently verified.

Faisal also accused the Houthis of targeting the holy cities of Mecca (Makkah Al-Mukarramah) and Medina (Madinah Al-Munawwarah). 'The hostile actions of the Houthi militiaΓÇöthis terrorist Houthi militiaΓÇöhave escalated to targeting the holiest sites on earth, namely Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawwarah,' Faisal said, as quoted by jawawa.id. The allegation regarding the targeting of the holy cities was presented as a Saudi claim.

According to Faisal, the escalation of attacks also jeopardizes global supply chains, food security, and world energy security. He reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia holds the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity under international law, as well as ensure the safety of Umrah pilgrims and visitors.

Civilian Airports Repeatedly Targeted

Attacks on civilian infrastructure have become a focal point for the Saudi-led coalition. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki stated that Houthi strikes have repeatedly hit civilian airports, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha Airport, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Thursday (10/15/2026), cited by WE News English.

According to Al-Malki, King Khalid International Airport alone has been attacked 20 times since October 1. A presidential statement by the UN Security Council (UNSC; in Indonesian: Dewan Keamanan PBB / DK PBB) specifically highlighted the deadly strikes on October 10 and 11 against the airport, which the statement said killed 14 people and injured more than 300. The coalition's Joint Forces Command declared that it destroyed a network of Houthi weapons depots in Sanaa, Saada, and Amran, as well as several missile launch platforms, to disable the group's offensive capabilities.

UN Security Council Affirms Riyadh's Right to Self-Defense

The UN Security Council (UNSC) issued a presidential statement numbered S/PRST/2026/4 on Thursday (10/15/2026) condemning 'in the strongest terms' the intensifying Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civil aviation and energy infrastructure. The statement, unanimously agreed upon by all 15 council members, affirmed Saudi Arabia's inherent right to defend itself in accordance with international law, expressed solidarity with the kingdom, and offered condolences to the victims' families.

The council also condemned Houthi attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb StraitΓÇöa strategic global maritime trade routeΓÇöand urged the full implementation of Resolution 2216 (2015) concerning the arms embargo against the Houthis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia welcomed the statement, declaring that the kingdom reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its security and territorial integrity.

The Iran Question: Accused by Riyadh, Denied by Tehran

Saudi Vice Minister of Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly openly accused Iran on October 15 of 'fueling' the escalation of Houthi attacks and breaching commitments under the 2023 Beijing AgreementΓÇömarking Riyadh's first formal allegation against Tehran since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, neither the joint statement released on October 11 by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey nor the UNSC statement mentioned Iran; both named only the Houthis as responsible for the attacks.

Iran rejected the allegations. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated on October 17 that 'Yemeni armed forces act according to their own interests and judgment,' dismissing the Saudi claims as lacking credibility. In his press conference in Jakarta, Faisal reiterated that Saudi Arabia prioritizes a comprehensive political solution in Yemen while maintaining its right to defend its sovereignty under international law.