Yemen's Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for a fresh wave of strikes on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, launching the attacks only hours after Saudi Arabia declared that flights had resumed following a series of earlier assaults by the Iran-backed group.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced on Monday that the group had "conducted three military operations with dozens of ballistic missiles", adding that the strike on the airport had "achieved its target." Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed or commented on the latest attack.
Flights briefly resumed before fresh Houthi strikes
King Khalid International Airport's official website listed several domestic and international flights on Sunday, with scheduled arrivals from Dubai, Paris and Cairo among others. Flight-tracking data confirmed some aircraft did depart, though the majority of scheduled services were cancelled. The brief resumption of activity came even as explosions were reported across Riyadh on Sunday, following a text message sent to residents warning of a hostile threat targeting the city.
Saree had issued a direct warning ahead of the strikes, declaring the airport "unsafe" and an active "military target."
"The Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international, regional and local airlines, as well as staff and travellers, against using King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as it is unsafe and serves as a military target for our forces," he said. "The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport."
In addition to the airport, Saree said Houthi forces had also targeted King Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in the southern city of Jazan. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles during the exchanges.
Deadliest attack in over a decade preceded the resumed operations
The latest strikes follow a sustained campaign against Saudi infrastructure that has intensified in recent weeks. Among the most significant incidents this month was an attack on the same airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, described as the deadliest strike on Saudi soil in more than a decade. That attack, along with subsequent strikes, forced the closure of the airport and triggered a cascade of major disruptions.
The closure proved a significant blow to Saudi Arabia's international standing and economic agenda. The kingdom's flagship investment conference was postponed until 2027 as a result, while residents were forced to find alternative routes in and out of the country. The Dakar Rally, the prestigious motorsport event, also joined a lengthy list of occasions that were cancelled, postponed or relocated because of the ongoing conflict. You can read more background on the Houthis warning of further escalation after earlier Saudi airport strikes and the broader pattern of strikes between the Saudi coalition and Houthi forces.
The underlying Houthi-Saudi conflict reignited after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government collapsed, setting off the current cycle of escalating military exchanges.
Saudi Arabia strikes back as Greece pledges Patriot support
Saree also claimed on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had conducted 56 airstrikes and missile attacks on Yemen during the preceding 24 hours, targeting civilian sites across multiple governorates including Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb. He said the strikes were carried out using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft launching from the Khamis Mushait and Taif bases, with additional missiles fired from Najran.
Amid the renewed hostilities, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Riyadh for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His office confirmed that Mitsotakis "responded favourably to the kingdom's request to keep the Patriot system in Saudi Arabia, given the current challenging circumstances." Greece has deployed a battery to operate the US-made Patriot air defence system at Yanbu, a key oil export hub on the Red Sea coast, providing an additional layer of air defence capacity for the kingdom.
What comes next for Saudi airspace
With the Houthis showing no sign of halting their campaign and Saudi authorities yet to comment on the most recent airport attack, the situation at King Khalid International Airport remains deeply uncertain. The brief resumption of flights on Sunday, quickly followed by fresh strike claims, underscores the difficulty Saudi Arabia faces in restoring normal air operations while the conflict continues.
The economic consequences are mounting. The kingdom's ambitions to position Riyadh as a global business and events hub have been set back significantly, with major conferences and sporting events displaced and international airlines forced to reassess their schedules. Whether the airport can sustain operations under continued Houthi targeting remains the central question for Saudi authorities in the days ahead.
