Houthis target Riyadh airport in overnight missile attack
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Yemen’s Houthis claimed they launched a ballistic missile toward King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh early Thursday, saying the attack disrupted operations at the Saudi capital’s main airport.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the missile hit its intended target and claimed the strike caused disruption to air traffic.
Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi claim that the missile struck the airport, and no Saudi casualty figures were reported in connection with the overnight attack.
Flight-tracking data showed significant disruption at King Khalid International Airport following the reported strike.
Aircraft were seen holding over Riyadh, while departures were temporarily halted and several flights were delayed or canceled. Flightradar24 data also showed significant disruption among arriving flights, with delays recorded at the airport.
The disruption came as the Houthis warned international airlines against continuing to operate flights through Saudi airspace.
The overnight attack followed a separate series of attacks on Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said Wednesday evening that those earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport killed three people and injured 36 others.
One person was killed and eight were injured in the Riyadh attack, while two people were killed and 28 injured in the attack on Abha.
The figures released by Saudi authorities refer to the earlier attacks and not to the overnight missile strike on Thursday.
The Houthis have claimed a series of attacks against Saudi military and aviation targets as fighting intensifies in Yemen.
The group also claimed attacks on military sites in Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Asir.
The latest strike on Riyadh airport marks another escalation in attacks affecting civilian aviation, although details of the damage and any casualties from the overnight incident remained unconfirmed.
