Houthis warn against using Saudi airports after deadly Riyadh attack
Yemen’s Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to avoid Saudi airports after an attack in Riyadh killed 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers on Sunday to stay away from Saudi airports, a day after an attack on Riyadh’s international airport killed 12 people and wounded more than 300 others. It was the deadliest such attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.
Warning over airports and airspace
The warning came amid escalating fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
“We renew our warning to all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports in (the holy cities of) Mecca and Medina,” the Houthis said in a post on X.
“We urge everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions.”
Escalating military involvement
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military involvement in Yemen in recent weeks, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. The conflict is a spillover from the wider war on Iran launched by the United States and Israel in February.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that a projectile had also fallen near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. It also reported intercepting a drone in the region on Sunday.
Airport closure and energy congress
Saturday’s attack forced the temporary closure of King Khalid International Airport. However, the Saudi energy ministry said a long-planned international energy conference was still going ahead in Riyadh on Sunday.
The five-day WPC Energy Congress is taking place at a convention centre about 10 km (6 miles) from the airport. State TV said more than 70 ministers, 300 company executives and representatives of over 25 international energy organisations had confirmed their attendance.
It was not immediately clear whether participants would attend in person or virtually.
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