Houthis Claim New Strike on Riyadh Airport After Flights Resume

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a fresh attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, hours after the kingdom announced that flight operations had resumed despite repeated strikes by the group.

The airport’s website listed several domestic and international flights scheduled for Sunday, including arrivals from Dubai, Paris, and Cairo. However, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that while some flights had departed, most had been cancelled.

The resumption of airport operations came as explosions were reported in Riyadh early Sunday, following a text message warning residents of a hostile threat targeting the Saudi capital.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later said on X that the group had carried out “three military operations with dozens of ballistic missiles,” claiming that the attack on the airport had achieved its intended target.

Saree also said the group had targeted King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in Jazan, both in southern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities had not commented on the latest reported airport attack as of Sunday. Officials also did not provide further details when asked by Agence France-Presse (AFP) about the scope of the airport’s resumed operations.

Earlier, Saree warned international, regional, and domestic airlines, as well as airport staff and travellers, against using King Khalid International Airport, describing it as unsafe and a military target. He said the Saudi government would bear responsibility for the consequences of any operations at the airport.

The latest claim comes amid repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi targets, including an earlier strike this month that reportedly killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, in what was described as the kingdom’s deadliest attack in more than a decade.

The airport’s closure had disrupted travel and dealt a setback to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to host major international events. The kingdom’s flagship investment conference was postponed until 2027, while the Dakar Rally was among the major events cancelled, postponed, or relocated amid the wider fallout from the war.

The renewed tensions have raised further concerns over civilian aviation and the security of key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia as the conflict continues to affect regional travel and economic activity.