{
  "id": 14711220,
  "title": "Who Are the Houthis and Why Are They Attacking Saudi Arabia’s Airports?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/who-are-the-houthis-and-why-are-they-attacking-saudi-arabias-airports",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T13:43:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/10/15/who-are-the-houthi-rebels-saudi-arabia-oil-airport-attacks/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Houthis are a political and armed group in Yemen, predominantly Zaidi Shia Muslims, who have been battling the internationally recognized government for nearly two decades. Emerging from a revivalist movement in the 1990s, their leader, Hussein al-Houthi, transformed the group into a more militarized force after his death in 2004. The group's primary grievances stem from their desire to establish a Zaidi theocracy and their opposition to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.\n\nIn recent weeks, the Houthis have escalated their attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting airports and oil facilities. On Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that operations targeting \"Saudi depths\" would continue, describing the kingdom's oil facilities as \"legitimate targets.\" This came just hours after the group struck Saudi Aramco's headquarters, causing a limited fire and injuring no one.\n\nSaudi Arabia has responded to these attacks by launching strikes on an oil depot near Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. The kingdom also intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh, and local reports indicate that loud blasts were heard in the capital. While several missiles and drones were intercepted elsewhere, falling debris injured four people in Riyadh.\n\nThe escalating conflict has prompted a joint summit involving the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council to be postponed due to safety concerns. Several airlines have suspended flights to Riyadh in response to the attacks, and the U.S. embassy in Riyadh has warned Americans of potential flight cancellations and airspace disruptions. President Trump has expressed his disapproval of the Houthis' actions, acknowledging past U.S. strikes against the group but suggesting a potential escalation in the conflict.",
  "summary": "Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed to forge ahead with the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airports and oil facilities.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}