Houthis struck Terminal 3 at Riyadh airport with missile: WSJ
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, directly hitting Terminal 3 in a fresh missile attack that caused injuries and forced the terminal’s evacuation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Saudi officials reportedly confirmed to WSJ the direct hit on the terminal , one of the main facilities at the capital’s primary international airport.
Emergency teams rushed to the scene as authorities ordered the evacuation of the affected sections.
Incoming flights were diverted and numerous departures cancelled amid the disruption.
Residents across Riyadh reported hearing multiple loud explosions. “I heard at least two massive explosions that shook the area,” one resident told the Associated Press shortly after the strike.
Dozens of ambulances responded, and medical sources indicated casualties among those present.
The attack forms part of an escalating campaign by the Houthis against Saudi aviation infrastructure.
Earlier this week, strikes on the same airport and others killed at least three people, including a Saudia pilot, and wounded dozens more while damaging aircraft.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree has repeatedly claimed successful missile and drone hits on King Khalid International Airport and warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, excluding the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saudi civil aviation authorities and the kingdom’s coalition forces have intercepted many incoming projectiles in recent days, though debris and impacts have still caused damage and casualties.
Officials expressed growing concern that sustained attacks could harm the economy, disrupt tourism and business travel, and deplete limited stocks of missile interceptors.
Airport operations faced immediate strain, with travel advisories urging passengers to check flight statuses directly with airlines and avoid non-essential trips to the facility.
The broader context is intensified fighting in Yemen, where Saudi-backed internationally-recognized government forces are pushing back against Houthi advances, particularly along the Red Sea coast, amid the wider regional tensions linked to the Iran conflict.
