Houthis claim missile strike on Riyadh airport

Houthis claim missile strike on Riyadh airport

Yemen's Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis) claimed a ballistic missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in the capital of Saudi Arabia. The announcement was made by the movement's military spokesman Yahya Saree, as quoted by Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru. According to him, the airport 'sustained direct hits and significant damage'. None of the sources provided details on the nature of the damage, and the publications contain no independent confirmation of the strike.

Context: a series of attacks and warnings to airlines

The statement continues a series of attacks: earlier, according to Life.ru, the Houthis announced strikes with dozens of ballistic missiles on Riyadh airport, an air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval facility in Jizan (statement dated October 25). Gazeta.Ru recalls that in early October, 309 people were injured in a strike on the same capital airport, and Saree warned at the time of his intention to continue the attacks. The escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia began in mid-July, when pro-government Yemeni forces attacked Sanaa airport as a plane arriving from Iran with a delegation of the movement was landing; the Houthis blamed Riyadh for this and declared war on it. The Houthis also once again warned international airlines, their staff and passengers of the danger of flying over Saudi Arabia, making an exception for the airspace over Mecca and Medina.