Houthis target Saudi south as Riyadh airport reopens

Houthi fighters fired ballistic missiles and drones at military and civilian targets across southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday as authorities partially reopened Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport despite warnings that the facility remains a “military target” for the Iran-backed group. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles and multiple drones targeting the capital and southern cities including Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan, adding that it also destroyed a cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait later in the morning.

Airport reopening

Riyadh's international airport resumed limited operations Sunday after a two-week closure imposed following the deadliest Houthi attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade, which killed 13 people and wounded over 300 at the facility earlier this month. Explosions rattled the capital in the early hours as residents received mobile alerts warning of a “hostile aerial threat” and urging them to seek shelter immediately.

Houthi warnings

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned that the airport remains unsafe and serves as a legitimate target, stating: “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 added that “The Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations at the airport,” as the group said it had targeted three Saudi airports, energy installations and a pipeline in the past 24 hours.

Regional escalation

The flare-up marks the collapse of a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government, with the group seizing Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive last month that has disrupted global oil markets. Houthi forces also fired on the southern Yemeni city of Aden, targeting a naval base and military camp overseen by Saudi forces, while denying Saudi claims that they targeted the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, calling the assertion a “huge lie”. “The bombardment has been very heavy since this morning -- may God keep us safe. Everything is shaking because of the explosions,” one resident in Khamis Mushait told AFP on condition of anonymity.