Yemen’s Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack on Riyadh Airport Amid Escalating Saudi Clashes

Yemen’s Houthi group on Thursday claimed responsibility for a fresh ballistic missile attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, along with missile strikes against government forces near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement posted on X that a ballistic missile “accurately hit its target” at King Khalid International Airport and disrupted air traffic.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities regarding the latest Houthi claim.

Sarea also issued what he described as a “final warning” to international airlines against continuing to operate flights through Saudi airspace, claiming it had become an area of Houthi military operations. He said the warning did not apply to airspace over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The latest claim came after attacks on two Saudi airports on Tuesday and Wednesday that, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, left three people dead and 36 others injured.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for both incidents. Sarea said on Wednesday that several drones targeted King Khalid International Airport, while ballistic missiles and drones struck Abha International Airport and King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait in the southwestern Asir region.

Later on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it had launched a comprehensive military operation in response to attacks on civilians and civilian sites in Saudi Arabia. The coalition claimed to have destroyed 82 Houthi military targets across several Yemeni provinces.

The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in hostilities, which had largely remained subdued following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

Yemen’s conflict began in late 2014 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is now based in Aden.