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Houthi Ansar Allah Targets King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh After Saudi Intercepts Missiles

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Houthis attacked Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing 12 and injuring 309. Airport operations were suspended and flights canceled after the attacks.

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Houthi Ansar Allah Targets King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh After Saudi Intercepts Missiles
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Riyadh Airport Under Fire

Houthi Ansar Allah targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh again on Monday evening, after the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a missile headed toward the capital. Yahya Sari, the military spokesman for the Houthis, wrote on X that “Our armed forces were able to target King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh this evening with a ballistic missile, and the strike was precise,” as he put it.

Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said there was “the interception and destruction of two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Khamees Mushait.” Qatar Airways said it temporarily suspended flights from Riyadh and Dammam to and from Saudi Arabia due to the “current situation,” while the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation extended the closure of Riyadh International Airport until Saturday and said the suspension at King Khalid Airport was to “complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of airport facilities and its operational readiness.”

Reporting for this sectionBBCAl Jazeera

Escalation, Warnings, and Flights

The Houthis warned that U.S. involvement would trigger retaliation, with Mohammed al-Bukhaiti telling AFP that “If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond; rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region.” The Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at an energy conference in Riyadh that “The events of recent weeks are serious,” and that “Our response must be equally serious.”

The BBC reported that Trump said the Houthis’ behavior was “bad,” adding “this is not a good thing,” after the Houthi announcement of a targeted attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The disruptions spread into aviation schedules, with the BBC saying a pilot notice stated the airport would remain closed until 21:00 GMT on October 17 and that FlightRadar24 data showed planes avoided Riyadh on Monday even as some landed in Jeddah.

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Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraBBC

Broader War and Civilian Impact

General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced via Telegram that “Over the past 24 hours, Saudi warplanes carried out 119 airstrikes and missile attacks targeting civilian sites in the capital, Sana’a,” and in governorates including Al-Jawf, Taiz, Saada, Marib, Lahj, Al-Bayda, and Ibb. General Saree said the attacks were carried out using F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases, alongside missile strikes launched from Najran and Jizan, and he added that “The attacks left civilians dead and injured, including women and children.”

The BBC described the Houthi campaign as continuing to target Riyadh Airport while Saudi authorities extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport after attacks that left 13 people dead and more than 300 others injured. The Guardian said the Houthis’ attacks on Saudi airports came amid a counteroffensive by Yemeni government forces supported by Riyadh, and it framed the airport strikes as the biggest escalation yet in their campaign against Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in recent weeks.

Reporting for this sectionAl-ManarThe Guardian