The latest:
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remains a military target and strikes against it will continue, the Houthi military spokesman said Sunday, hours after the airport announced it was reopening two terminals. He warned all international, regional and domestic carriers, airport employees and passengers away from the facility, and said the Saudi government bears the consequences of any operations there.
Details:
- The warning: The Houthi military spokesman wrote on X that the Yemeni armed forces were renewing their warning to airlines, staff and travelers because the airport is unsafe and a military target, adding that operations toward it would continue and that it would never be safe.
- The reopening: King Khalid International announced late Saturday that Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights and Terminal 2 international flights operated by national carriers, effective Sunday. It advised passengers with confirmed bookings to check flight status with their airlines before travelling.
- Limits of the notice: The airport did not say whether the arrangements cover flights operated by foreign airlines, and gave no details on its other terminals. Flight tracking site Flightradar24 showed an aircraft departing Riyadh early Sunday for Jeddah.
- The October 10 attack: Operations halted on October 10 after an attack the Houthis claimed, killing 13 people and wounding more than 300, according to Reuters — the deadliest such strike in the kingdom in over a decade. The suspension was extended two days later.
- Saturday’s barrage: The Houthi spokesman said the group struck King Khalid airport, an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh refinery, crude pumping stations and the East-West pipeline, plus King Fahd International in Dammam, an airport in Najran and an air base in Khamis Mushait.
- Saudi response: The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Taif and Yanbu. Civil defense reported debris from two intercepted missiles falling in the Mecca and Medina regions, including Wadi al-Mughammas, Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh. Brief public alerts were lifted after roughly 10 minutes.
- The denial: The Houthis rejected as a fabrication the claim that they targeted Mecca and Medina, saying their operations hit only oil facilities and military bases and are announced as they occur. Saudi authorities did not comment directly on the Houthi claims.
- The Aden front: Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Houthi missiles struck a coast guard headquarters and a second coast guard building in Tawahi. Its transport ministry condemned a strike on Aden International Airport as the fourth this month, warning of civil aviation safety risks.
- Ground fighting: A Yemeni army spokesman said government forces carried out more than 700 targeting operations in 24 hours, neutralizing 300 Houthi fighters; Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the figures. Fighting intensified on Taiz’s western, eastern and southern fronts.
- Gulf reaction: GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi described the Houthi attacks as heinous and said they showed blatant disregard for civilian lives and safety, in a statement issued Saturday.
Background:
A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted cross-border attacks between the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s recognized government and the Houthis, who control Sanaa. Its collapse reopened the front, and Saudi Arabia has recently escalated strikes after Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast.
Between the lines:
The Houthi warning lands hours after the terminal announcement, which suggests the aim is to deter traffic rather than report a new strike. Riyadh’s choice to restart only two terminals, limited to domestic flights and national carriers, leaves foreign airlines unaddressed — the segment most exposed to insurance and airspace risk after an attack that killed 13.
What’s next
Watch whether foreign carriers resume Riyadh service, whether further terminals reopen, and whether the Saudi-led coalition reports new interceptions over Riyadh, Yanbu or Taif in the coming days.
