Riyadh airport partly reopens as Houthis renew threats and Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said two terminals at the kingdom’s main airport partly reopened on Sunday despite fresh Houthi threats. The kingdom also reported intercepting another barrage of missiles and drones as fighting with the Yemen-based, Iran-aligned group continued.

Limited flights resume under renewed threat

In an announcement late on Saturday, King Khalid International Airport said domestic services would use Terminal 1 from Sunday, while Terminal 2 would handle international services flown by national carriers. However, Flightradar24 tracking data indicated little flight activity there on Sunday.

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Early on Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree again warned airlines, travellers and airport workers not to use the facility. He described it as a “military target” and said it would “never be safe”.

Operations had been suspended on October 10 after a Houthi-claimed attack left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured. It was the kingdom’s deadliest attack in over a decade.

Earlier this month, the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis had attacked the airport 20 times between October 1 and 11.

Missile launches and emergency alerts

On Sunday, Saudi civil defence authorities sent emergency warnings to Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. Within minutes, they announced that the danger was over.

The coalition reported launches towards Riyadh involving two drones and one ballistic missile, as well as a cruise missile directed at Khamis Mushait in the south. In a subsequent statement, it said it had intercepted 10 ballistic missiles launched towards the kingdom’s southern regions.

Fighting adds pressure to wider war

The Houthis have maintained daily attacks against Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter globally, despite Saudi strikes on the group.

The conflict has increasingly destabilised the wider US-Israeli offensive against Iran, making Saudi Arabia, a US ally, a pressure point in the broader war.