The key facts
- Houthis claimed three operations with dozens of ballistic missiles against Riyadh airport, the Khamis Mushait airbase, and a base in Jizan
- Saree urged airlines and passengers to avoid flights through Riyadh airport, calling it a military target
- The airport partially resumed operations after the October 10 attack that killed 13 people; Saudi Arabia did not confirm the Houthi claims
Houthi statement on three attacks
Yemen's Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis) claimed missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and two military targets in southern Saudi Arabia. The claim was made by the movement's military spokesman Yahya Saree, as quoted by Life.ru and the Libyan portal Alwasat. According to him, “The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out three military operations using dozens of ballistic missiles”.
Named targets and warning to airlines
In addition to Riyadh airport, the Houthis claim they attacked an airbase in Khamis Mushait and a naval base of border guard forces in Jizan. Saree called on international airlines, staff and passengers to avoid flights through Riyadh airport, describing the air hub as unsafe and, according to Alwasat, “a military target of our forces”. He also claimed the hits were accurate and caused deaths and injuries among Saudi servicemen. The Saudi side did not confirm these figures; no independent confirmation of the claimed attack results has been received previously either, when the movement announced strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities, the airports of Riyadh and Abha, and the airbase in Khamis Mushait.
Context: airport resumes operations after the October 10 attack
The Houthi statement came on the same day Riyadh airport partially resumed operations after a two-week closure. The closure followed the October 10 attack in which, according to Gazeta.Ru, 13 people were killed and more than 300 injured. In total, 22 people have been killed in strikes on Saudi airports since the beginning of the month. The Houthis had earlier already issued a warning regarding Riyadh airport.
Why it matters
The event affects civil aviation and passengers traveling through Riyadh: a direct consequence of the Houthi statement is the risk of new closures or flight restrictions, given that the airport only partially resumed operations after the October 10 attack with 13 killed. Moreover, all claims about the results of the strikes come from only one side of the conflict and have not been confirmed by Saudi Arabia, so the scale of the actual damage remains unknown.
