CLAIM
Viral visuals of Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport
RATING JUSTIFICATION
The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.
To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search and reverse image search to trace the original video and conducted forensic analysis to verify the authenticity of the content.
Several people have been sharing visuals on multiple social media platforms since October 8, 2026, allegedly showing the Houthi attack and its aftermath at Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport. However, the visuals are old and AI-generated.
The latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia came amid a renewed escalation in the conflict in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government launched a military campaign to push Houthi forces away from the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi territory, including airports, military installations and oil infrastructure. The renewed fighting has intensified after years of intermittent conflict and a period of relative calm following a truce in 2022.
On Oct 8, Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed that it had launched a ballistic missile towards King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, saying it had struck its intended target and disrupted air traffic. Saudi Arabia’s Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles, including two heading towards Riyadh and another directed towards Khamis Mushait.
Saudi civil defence authorities also reported material damage to a kindergarten and medical clinic complex in Riyadh from falling missile debris. The attacks disrupted air travel, with Air India cancelling flights to and from Riyadh and Lufthansa suspending flights to the Saudi capital, with the authorities confirming three deaths in attacks on the airports in Riyadh and Abha
HOW IT STARTED
On Oct 8, an account shared a video on X of an alleged missile strike on a Saudi aeroplane at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport with the following caption: “Urgent. New video footage of the moment King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh was targeted.”
The post gained 2.4 million views.
A pro-Russian account also shared the same video on X, with a similar caption on Oct 9, gaining 3.6m views.
Similarly, another account on X shared the same video the same day with the following caption: “Breaking: New footage has emerged showing the moment King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was targeted amid a fresh Houthi-claimed ballistic missile attack.”
The post gained 100,000 views.
Subsequently, the same video was also shared by other accounts on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining 29,238 views.
Similarly, another video showed the aftermath of the attack with visuals of burnt planes, with several ground crew members wearing bright yellow high-visibility vests.
On Oct 8, a Palestine-based account, based on its about section, shared the video with the following caption:
“A new crazy video emerges from King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, showing several Saudi civilian aircraft burning on the airport grounds following the Yemeni missile strike. What appears in the video indicates that the scale of the Yemeni strike is much larger than previously believed, as the number of destroyed and burning aircraft seems extremely high, and perhaps what remains hidden is even greater. And most importantly, these scenes reveal only a portion of the airport, and it cannot be ruled out that the damage inflicted on other areas that have not yet been filmed is far greater than what we are seeing. Ansar Allah is determined to impose a comprehensive air blockade on Saudi Arabia, and what we are witnessing in terms of targeting airports and civilian aircraft points to the scale of escalation they seek to enforce. Unprecedented madness.”
The post gained 294,000 views on X.
A pro-Iranian user shared the same video on X with the caption that translates to: “A transport plane caught fire at Riyadh Airport following a new missile strike.”
The post garnered 800,000 views.
A pro-Houthi account, based on its profile picture, shared the same video with a similar caption on X, attracting 670,000 views.
Iranian mainstream media outlet Fars News also shared the same video in its news article on Oct 9 with a title which translates to: “Ansarullah’s fatal attack on Saudi airport.”
Another user who claims to be a journalist from the United Kingdom in their bio on X also shared the same video with the title: “Watch: new footage shows several Saudi aircraft struck & damaged by Ansar Allah strike at King Khalid International Airport.
The post attracted 157,000 views.
The video with a similar claim was further shared by several other users on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating 67,000 views.
METHODOLOGY
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, particularly following reports of the latest attack on King Khalid Airport.
For the video on the alleged blast, a keyword search yielded no media reports from any credible Saudi, international, or Yemeni news outlets covering the airport attack with the same clip.
A visual examination revealed several discrepancies. At the 1-second mark, the explosion erupts instantaneously after the rocket attack without any structural damage to the airport preceding it.
Despite a massive blast occurring between the 2-5 second mark, the airport shuttle bus, stair trucks, and service vehicles close to the plane remain the same, without any damage.
The video was subsequently analysed using AI-detection tools. Isgen AI Video Detector flagged the visual as 100 per cent doctored, while Is Fake AI flagged it as 79pc AI-generated.
Furthermore, Detect Video flagged the audio in the viral video as 64pc AI-generated.
For the second clip on the alleged aftermath, a reverse image search yielded a video shared on X on May 29, 2017.
The post was captioned, “A ground services vehicle fire next to one of Saudi airline aircraft caused the front section of its A320-model plane to catch fire.”
The post featured the same footage as the viral video.
Further investigation led to a news report published by Airkule, a Turkish local digital media outlet, on May 29, 2017, with the headline “Fire in power unit causes panic.”
According to the report, a fire in an external power unit at Jeddah airport caused panic. Although firefighters extinguished the blaze, soot was left on the radar systems of several aircraft. The report contains the same visual as that of the viral video.
A keyword search using relevant terms such as “A320 aircraft”, “Jeddah airport” and “fire” revealed a report published by Saudi news outlet Saudi Gazette on May 30, 2017, titled “Small fire at Jeddah airport.”
According to the report, Civil Defence personnel extinguished a small fire near the nose of a Saudi Arabian Airlines A320 aircraft at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport. The fire reportedly originated in ground service machinery and spread to a nearby parked aircraft. Authorities subsequently ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE
The claim that viral visuals show the Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport in Riyadh is false.
The first video is AI-generated. Meanwhile, the second video is old from 2017 and shows an incident at Jeddah airport.
EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES
May 29, 2017, X post:
https://x.com/AviationWG/status/869159387964653568
May 29, 2017, local Turkish outlet Airkule news report:
https://m.airkule.com/haber/GUC-UNITESINDEKI-YANGIN-PANIK-YARATTI/27251
May 30, 2017, Saudi Gazette news report:
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/501439/SAUDI-ARABIA/Small-fire-at-Jeddah-airport