Saudi coalition says intercepted missile after Houthis hit Riyadh airport

Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels engaged in a cycle of retaliatory attacks over the weekend, prompting Saudi civil defense authorities to issue numerous warnings across the country, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and several southern provinces near the Yemeni border over a 24-hour period leading into early Sunday. The Saudi-backed military coalition combating the Houthis in Yemen reported intercepting over a dozen missiles, drones, and cruise missiles, including those launched at Riyadh and in the southern regions.

In contrast, the Houthi rebels claimed that Saudi Arabia had launched more than 3,000 missile and airstrikes in Yemen since the recent escalation of hostilities. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that more than 100 such attacks occurred within a single day in Houthi-controlled Sana'a and other parts of Yemen, resulting in casualties. However, the veracity of these claims from both sides could not be independently verified.

The ceasefire that had been in effect since 2022 was shattered in July as regional tensions escalated once again due to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Since then, Saudi Arabia has faced significant attacks from Yemen, with airports and oil facilities among the targets. Heavy fighting continues in Yemen itself. The Saudi-backed Interior Ministry reported that the Houthis had launched missile strikes on the southern port city of Aden, while the rebels claimed they had targeted two military bases commanded by Saudi officers.

Eyewitnesses confirmed multiple explosions in the area. Operations resumed at two terminals at Riyadh International Airport after being halted by Houthi strikes, with passengers advised to verify their flight status through the respective airlines. As of Sunday afternoon, flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed hundreds of flights cancelled, with Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam among the most severely impacted airports globally.

The World Health Organization reported that over 1,500 people have been killed and more than 6,900 others injured in Yemen since the latest escalation of fighting, figures that do not differentiate between combatants and civilians and exclude casualty data from areas controlled by the Houthi rebels. Hundreds of thousands of lives are believed to have been lost due to the direct and indirect consequences of the conflict, which has persisted for over a decade.