Explosions rock Riyadh as Saudi airport reopens despite Houthi threats

Riyadh International Airport in Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that flights would resume after a two-week closure due to strikes by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The airport's closure came as the Houthi group, backed by Iran, warned of more attacks to come. Flight Radar monitoring site indicated a plane departing from Riyadh Airport early Sunday, bound for Jeddah.

Recent weeks have seen a surge of Houthi attacks, with the broader US-Iran conflict and a humanitarian crisis in Yemen at the forefront. King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, designated Terminal (1) for domestic flights and Terminal (2) for international flights operated by national carriers starting Sunday, October 25, 2026.

The Houthi group carried out multiple strikes on Riyadh's airport, including the deadliest in the kingdom in over a decade, which killed 13 people and wounded over 300. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree cautioned that the airport remained unsafe and a military target. The Yemeni Armed Forces urged all international, regional, and local airlines, as well as staff and travelers, to avoid using King Khalid Airport, labeling it unsafe and a military objective.

The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down two drones near Riyadh early Sunday.