CANBERRA — The Australian government has elevated its official travel advice for Saudi Arabia to the highest level of "Do not travel," urging citizens to cancel or postpone all planned trips to the kingdom and warning those already there to leave while commercial options remain available or prepare to shelter in place amid escalating regional conflict.

The updated advice, published on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller website on 17 October 2026, follows a series of attacks claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. A major strike last Saturday killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, marking the deadliest attack inside Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. A second strike earlier this week killed one person and injured 11 others, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities.

"Australians should postpone any planned travel to Saudi Arabia, including for religious purposes," the Smartraveller update states. The advice explicitly covers King Khalid International Airport, which travellers are told to avoid entirely. Officials also recommend extreme caution at any other Saudi airports. Critically, the "do not travel" designation applies to transit as well:........

© International Business Times